Happy Walking! The Heart Walk is Saturday!

I know it has been a while since I last posted even a peep. That is largely do to my laziness and well more laziness lol. But, I am determined to stay on top of things this time...until I get completely lazy again.

Since I last posted, my EF has gone up to 47.5%. The doctor will not say 50% because he is being conservative. I don't mind. I know in my heart the EF is 50% (in my Heart, get it...ohhh I just love dry humor).

This is wonderful news folks! This means that I am cleared to, well, not sure what this means, cause I am still on a butt load of medication and I still don't have the energy I use to have before all of this started and I am still on a low-sodium, low-fat, little bit of sugar, 3 mile a day walk diet.

So, what does it mean???

It means...I am less likely to die of sudden death if my heart skips a beat. But don't misunderstand, this is GREAT NEWS!

I can do more. In fact, I am doing more. I have started to workout a little harder. I am now lifting weights, attending dance classes and standing in front of the TV once a week, wondering how in the heck the folks on the Insanity video can work that hard without falling out.

I am volunteering in the community (Creatives4Community (Eddie's brain child)) and I am taking acting classes and baking and cooking once a week. Lets just say, I am keeping busy.

Saturday

The Heart Walk for the Heart Association

I am walking 3 .5 miles. I have been a little shy about asking for $upport but as I was reminded a couple of days ago, if you don't ask, you will not receive $upport.

So

I NEED SOME FOLKS TO $UPPORT ME

Donate at least $25.00 on my Heart Walk page before the end of tomorrow.

If you donate at least $100, I will send a baker's dozen of my fabulous chocolate chip cookies to your doorstep by next week, more like by Friday.

Thank you so much Cousin Stephanie and Cousin Judi for $upporting me!

http://pugetsoundheartwalk.org/

Thank you so your support in advance :)

Happy Anniversary

These last couple of months have been interesting to say the least. Summer has finally arrived in Seattle although once every three days, there is rain. Not full-blow, stormy weather, like it is across the rest of the country but marine mist, if you will. Sort of a cool front mixed with a rainy behind.
Lets talk turkey about my heart. As of last month, my numbers, well my EF percentages, we not impressive. I would have to say this is largely my fault. I started decreasing my meds on my own, without doctor's consent. Now my numbers were not horrible. I did receive a slight increase, "marginal increase" my doctor's words, in my EF. I did not make him aware of my resistance to medical authority. I thought it would create a less than pleasant visit. So I kept that bit of information to myself.
Now since then, I started acupuncture and massage therapy. I love it. It's $35 a session. Now who could pass that up. So far, my shoulder feels better, my tummy is not as troubled and I am more at ease. It is difficult to know if this "feeling better" is due to Chinese medicine however, I am going with it. I feel better, particularly after my appointments, and even if it is the placebo effect, I gladly welcome it to my weekly routine of medical treatment.

Happy Anniversary to Me!!!

I have passed the one year mark since this wonderful condition yanked me from my life. Oh no, I am not bitter or angry, just longing for the life I had before.
The independence. The baking. The community involvement. The parties. The people. The friends. My husband. The house in DC. Summers in DC. Black folks. Catering events. Back deck BBQs. Laurol Plaza. Rosa Mexicana. Busboys and Poets. Oh the list could go on and on.

But being here in Seattle has grown on me. I have a lake view that wakes me up every morning. I walk 3 miles everyday on the lake. There is a great organic market very close the house. Seattle has Pikes Market (produce is wonderful) and some of the best Salmon in the States. It's 2 and a half hours away from Vancouver BC and 2 hours from tax free shopping in Oregon. There is a rain forest and three mountains to climb and ski on. The flight to San Fran is only 2 hours and not too expensive to fly. My parents, brother and niece are here. I have some family in the area. And...there are more black folks here than I thought.

So I am happy to say...Seattle may just be my next home, home. I will keep you posted.

30-Minute Workout, No Gym Required - Health.com

30-Minute Workout, No Gym Required - Health.com

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARB) - drug class, medical uses, medication side effects, and drug interactions by MedicineNet.com

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARB) - drug class, medical uses, medication side effects, and drug interactions by MedicineNet.com

I KNOW IT'S BEEN FOREVER SINCE I...

Hey Folks

Just wanted to give an update on what has been going on with me:

Had my Echo on Tuesday and my EF is now between 35-40%. Things are looking good. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. I appreciate all the love.

Well I snuck out of Seattle for a few weeks.

My first stop was Dallas, TX (thumbs up to Mom for escorting me via Alaska Airlines) to see my Hubby's sister receive her PhD from University of Texas. We are so very proud of her.

My Mom met Hubby's Mother for the first time and they hit it off. This was a relief. Now I feel like my family is coming together (now all we have to do is, get Papa Bear to meet Hubby's Mom).

It was good to see my Brother(s)-in-Law, Lance and Darvey and my Sister(s)-in-Law, Delawina and Karen. They sure do know how to throw a cookout. Special shout out to my new Sis Karen for hooking my up with low-sodium dishes.

While in Dallas, I got to see one of my childhood friends, Terri and to also meet her children. What a handsome family they are. Her children are so smart and well behaved.

I also got to visit my 80 something year old Aunt Mary Louise. We call her Mady. What's interesting enough, I thought her name was just Mady but, it turns out that she doesn't like Mary Louise and her brother named her Mady when she was just a toddler and it stuck. How cute. I also found out that my Grandmother, Lillian, was a sassy so-and-so. Her stage name was Lorraine. Who knew. She was also a beautiful woman, standing at 5 foot 8, who sang in night clubs on the south side of Chicago.

I found out so many things about my Mother's side of the family. There are stories to be written.

From Dallas, my Hubby and I flew into Washington DC. Wow. I finally made it back home before a year was up. But home is not home any longer. Since July 2009, we have moved from DC to Mt. Vernon, VA. It was not really real until I walked in the house and saw all of my furniture and my things still in boxes. Yup! We had moved.

Mt. Vernon is not a bad place to live. It's just a little far from everything I grew to love, in DC. You see, when I moved to DC, I was dead set on living in DC. Not in Maryland or Virginia but in DC. How things change and do not remain the same.

My first few days in Mt. Vernon were, well, I don't really remember lol. I was sleep most of the time.

Friday, Hubby and I headed into the city to spend the weekend at the DuPont Hotel (I highly recommend). We had a blast. Friday night we went to a concert at the Kennedy Center and returned to the hotel for a fabulous dinner. Saturday we woke up and went on a little walk to George Town but not before we stopped and enjoyed the All Women Brazilian Drum Band performing in the park. After our nice walk through the neighborhood, we headed over to Eatonville to have a late breakfast with Brian (the best Manager in the world).

Hubby went to purchase a guitar in Tyson's and I chilled out in the hotel room and got dressed for church. That's right, I went to church. I love Alfred Street. Saturday night service was on point. My Hubby and I, both, received messages that night. We truly received our blessings.

After church, we headed over to my cousin's house to meet her new son. Stephanie is a wonderful Mommy! And of course Jeff is a great Dad too (don't want to leave him out). And Baby "Hank" is such a sweet baby boy. I am so happy they decided to have children.

But what was the surprise of the night, a few of Stephanie's friends had new babies as well. I missed so much being away.

After spending some time with the family, Hubby and I headed over to Mo' and Ashton's (friend-family) to say hello. Hello turned into an hour or so. Then we headed over to Lina's Roof Top Birthday Bash. That woman knows how to throw a PARTY!.

I was so exhausted when we got back to the hotel, I didn't know what to do. So the next morning we slept in. Thank goodness we didn't plan anything for the morning. Now Olivia did make a guest appearance at the hotel to see me and that made my morning.

After that we had breakfast at Circa...yummy yummy and headed back to VA.

My Sis Lori and my Niece Logan, Carol and her new family stopped by to say hello. It was wonderful to see them. Especially Miss Logan because it was her birthday!!! Hello 13. It was the first time I met Carol's new family. Dee and Veronica are pretty special folk.

You would think that the night was over but nope! We headed over to Andrea's house to see how big Brynn (she was one when I left) had gotten and oh my she has teeth, walks, talks and everything. Ron and Andrea got married (in Maui) while I was gone and now they are looking to expand their little family again.

I slept for a few days after that. Cardiomyopathy will do that to you.

Wednesday, we had a meeting with our lawyer, Johnnie Bond. To me, he is more of a friend but he is handling business. We talked about what got me in this mess (heart failure) in the first place (I still think that 50% of my condition is stress related and it relates to having bad contractors and a bad loan from Well's Fargo). Anywoooo, discussing the case really didn't bother me as much as I had anticipated. I guess I am handling my stress well.

After getting his bill (remember I said he was handling business) $70K+, we went for some drinks and grub at Lauriol Plaza. We met and ate with my baby sis, Camille and my sexy friend Troy. Good food, good drink and great weather! I love DC in the summer.

Friday, I had lunch with an amazing woman, Mimi. She has Cardiomyopathy as well and she is my SHERO. She has had this annoying condition for 9 years. Two children later, a job she loves and a body of a 25 year old, she still is managing her condition seemingly with ease. I am sure she has her ups and downs like we all do but she is amazing.

Saturday, we made it to a couple of house parties and ended the weekend at Shayla and Jarvis's house in Alexandria,VA. They moved from the neighborhood in DC back in May. At least when I go back to VA permanently, I will have some friends in the area.

Monday morning we arrived to the airport without incident. Alaska Airlines flight 1. Brand New Plane. Who knew there was a new plane smell. It is actually almost like a new car smell. Everything was clean and new. The stewardess actually gave us an entire row by ourselves so I could stretch out and sleep. I rate Alaska Airlines number 1. Please fly them often so I my airfare can go down. lol.

We arrived in Seattle 5 hours and 10 minutes later. What a long ride. I will have to tell you, I do not look forward to flying in another plane at all. But, Alaska Airlines and my Hubby made it at least bearable.

That concludes my trip. I think I have left out a couple of things like the fact that I had way too much sugar and salt while I was there and I didn't exercise as much as I should have and I did not get enough sleep and I didn't wear my life vest the entire time but hey...I was on vacation.

And my EF is higher, marginally, but never the less, HIGHER.

BTW

I am going to need some help. I am starting a foundation or association for Cardiomyopathy for Women. If anyone has any info or ideas please do not hesitate to contact me via email: lillianhill@gmail.com

Up Date on the Injury from the 3 Gallon Jug

After 5 long days of lying in the bed, on the floor, rolling around in pain, taking everything from Tylenol to Vicodin, I am finally feeling better. Not good enough to get to cardio-fit class but good enough to get up, eat, put some cloths on, sit at the computer and type. Good thing is, I lost 1 pound. I do not recommend putting one's back out just to lose weight but it was probably muscle and water combined since my appetite was completely shut down. But it still feels like a win.


I saw my Naturopathic Doctor last week. Oh she is just wonderful. We had a nice chat about my improvement. SO...she increased my medications. The goal is to get my EF to 51%. I have my work cut out for me. Now, it feels like I have a small pharmacy in my bedroom. Emotionally, this is taxing. When you look at my bedroom, it looks like a sick person lives in there. Oh wait, I am the sick person who lives in there. I was thinking, in order to make me feel emotionally better about the state of my sleeping quarters, I would visit IKEA some time tomorrow and purchase a little container and a small chest to house my pharmaceutical items. Things may be looking emotionally up.

On the Nutrition Tip

A couple of weeks ago, I decided I would try something new. Seven Grain Crispy Tender (I'm meat-free) by Gardein. One serving, which is about 2 to 3 nuggets, is only 90 calories. There is no cholesterol, no sugar, 9 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams of protein. And the best part, a serving only has 290 mg of sodium. Oh happy day, it meets my dietary requirements. Now to see if they taste good.

OH, MY, THEY DO!!!

They have the consistency and taste of a chicken nugget. Not the nasty ones at Mc Donald's from what I remember 20 years ago, but more like the crispy chicken nuggets that you make yourself without all the frying. I would recommend this product for everyone. Unless you are allergic to something on the ingredient list, listed on the back of package like soy or wheat.

I found Gardein, Seven Grain Crispy Tenders in the freezer section of Whole Foods Market. The cost, $4.99. Not bad for 5 servings.

On the Recipe Tip

For the last 8 days, when I can, I have made myself whole wheat pasta, restaurant style. What is restaurant style you ask?

You take your favorite pasta, mine right now is Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, I love that it keeps its shape while double cooking, and you boil enough for 5 or 6 servings. Keep that in the refrigerator until you need to use it.

When you need to use it, you take it out of the frig and place it on the counter...I am sure I don't need to be this literal. Sorry, I get carried away sometimes lol. SO, any who, you get your pasta. Heat a pan, medium-heat and put a little olive oil in the pan. Let it get hot. Saute up some spinach, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, kale, cherry tomatoes, basil, arugula, really anything produce. This will probably dry out in your pan before you finish cooking so, if this happens, add a little water and sort of steam, cook, saute the produce around. Now you can choose any produce and any amount for any combination. My staples are usually spinach, garlic, broccoli, and mushrooms. Once this is cooked down, add your pasta. This takes about 10 minutes total. You can add a little pasta sauce. Enough to coat the produce and pasta. Maybe 3 tablespoons at the most. Cook this for about 3 more minutes and VOILA.

You have restaurant pasta!

Everything is coated in your favorite pasta sauce and everything tastes seasoned and tasty.

Enjoy your Tuesday!!!

Somebody Stop Me Before It's Too Late

So for the last few weeks, after receiving my wonderful news,

Recap

My EF is at 40%

I have been tearing it up in the gym, through the neighborhood and in the kitchen.

I started weight training and long distance cardio, hiking for an hour and testing recipes.

It has been amazing. My energy has been up and my body has felt like it's old self...until yesterday.

Now, a 3-gallon jug of water has taken me down.

Let me explain

Instead of purchasing hundreds of bottles of water every year, I get my water at the local watering holes. PCC market and Whole Foods. Initially the 3-gallon jug costs $12.99. However, you soon begin to see the savings because a gallon of reverse osmosis water costs just $0.44. I figure, it will save me some money and a tiny bit of our eco-system. Just doing my part.

Well yesterday (it was yesterday when I wrote this but I am just now posting this so the day is actually 6 days ago), I went to the market to fill up my bottle. After getting it in to the trunk without incident I figured it would be a snap getting it out of the trunk after arriving home. Well, it didn't turn out like I thought. While picking up the jug, I sprang my wrist and pulled a muscle in my hip/back area.

Am I getting old or what? I think "or what." All of that medicine I am taking is wreaking havoc on my joints. I looked it up this morning and eureka!!! the medication for my heart is causing joint issues. This is absolutely unacceptable. They make drugs to help one thing and it ends up hurting something else. So, what do I do???

So now I am a little out of commission. I have taken the maximum amount of pain reliever I can find and have any applied Sombra ((http://www.sombrausa.com/) better than Icy/Hot and Tiger Balm)) to the areas of my body that are preventing me from having a good day.

Trying to get it write, right...

Disclaimer:

Okay. So, my husband, the "writer, editor and publisher" caught all of my spelling and writing errors, in my previous blog. I do apologize for not correcting "spell or grammar check." It will not happen again...well, it might happen again, probably will happen again. Just keeping everyone in the loop.

Dr T.K. Yeoh

My CHF Specialist

Gave me great news today.

My EF is 40%!!!!!!!!!!!!

(High-fived my doctor, his nurse, my Mom and did the happy dance)

What does this mean?

I have one more month of wearing the Life vest and I can fly (in an airplane). I am still on the same medication and I am still working out (exercising that is) the same although, I will be able to incorporate some moderate strength training into my workouts (so, I can look decent in summer dresses, shorts and t-tops).

I will still be here in Seattle (don't know how long) because I have not been released from my doctor's care.

Any errors sweetie pie?

STARTING SOMETHING NEW

Some of my FB family has let me know that they would like it if I posted some recipes, heart healthy tips and nutritional tidbits on my blog along with letting everyone know my continual progress. I am happily obliging.

As I am getting ready to make the final decision on what recipes should appear in the new cookbook, I am doing some experimenting.

Last night, I made a Low Budget, Vegan (Dairy and Meat Free), Low Fat, High Fiber, Low Sodium, Sugar Conscious dinner. It was easy to prepare; providing you have a handy food processor and a few pairs of food service gloves near by; and it really tasted quite yummy. Of course, I did alter the recipe a bit, making it my own (sorry Whole Foods, if I had made it your way, it would have been too bland and boring). Although, I do have to tweak the recipe a bit more before the final recipe can be acceptable for the book, I am going to share this wonderful recipe and menu with you today.

What will appear in the recipe

• Where you can get the ingredients
• Tips on how to prepare correctly for the most flavor
• Cost (I will present the lowest cost first to the highest)

Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas

Serves 8 (use it like meatloaf: sandwich, wrap, or on its own)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon organic cold-pressed virgin oil (Costco, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods)
8 ounces crimi mushrooms (Costco, Trader Joe's, Pike's Market, Whole Foods)
Seasoning: well this can be tricky. If you want to cut down on the salt, don't use any. What can you use instead? I used black pepper (no sodium), Trader Joe's no salt 21 Salute Seasoning and Red pepper for just a little kick. Feel free to experiment a little and use your own seasonings to create a one of a kind taste.
1 package of Trader Joe's Mixed Prepared Beans (Now you can use any beans. 1 15-ounce can of no salt added garbanzo beans, kidney beans, white beans, adzuki beans (not black beans because they tend to be a little small in the can but, make sure that it is the no-salt added variety. I would use organic and believe it or not Whole Foods has the cheapest and best selection of canned beans around. The reason I don't use canned beans is because of the BPA in the cans (Read the December 2009 of Consumer Reports).
3/4 cup rolled oats (Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's)
2 cups cooked organic quiona (Costco, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods)

Cooking quiona

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods)

Rinse quiona (use a small strainer with little holes)

Add water, broth and quiona in a sauce pan with a heavy lid and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes and let sit for 5 minutes

1 cup organic petite frozen peas (Costco, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (Pike's Market (Farmers Market), Trader Joe's, Whole Foods)
10 sun dried tomatoes packed in oil and jarred, drained and chopped (Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods)
1 cup (about one medium onion) chopped red onion (finely chopped if you can)
1 garlic clove smashed

Putting it all together:

Preheat your oven to 350F. I find that putting your oven on convection bake 335F works best for my over. Lightly grease (spray with canola oil or olive oil (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods)) an 8-inch loaf pan with oil.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet (I got away with a medium skillet) over medium-high heat. Add thinly sliced mushrooms and seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown and tender. This will take about 6 minutes. Now let me tell you that I experienced a little dryness to my mushrooms so I added about a tablespoon of water to the pan while they were cooking and this helped with that.

Meanwhile, which means after you finish with the mushrooms, put beans, oats and 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup of vegetable broth into a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. It will look like chunky baby food. But your kitchen by this time with start smelling really good. Let that mixture sit for a couple of minutes.

Take those onions that you just chopped and throw them in the skillet you just used for the mushrooms (this means take the mushrooms out of that pan and put it in a very large bowl). Cook them on medium-high heat along with a smashed garlic clove (the easier thing to do would be to get frozen garlic from Trader Joe's. That way you will always have smashed garlic on hand and it wont go bad sitting on your counter). Add some seasoning to this mixture if you would like.

So, in that large bowl that you put the mushrooms in, add the bean mixture from the food processor, Throw in 2 cups of quinoa, 1 cup of frozen peas (make sure they are still frozen. Peas get really mushy in the oven), 1/2 cup chopped parsley and thyme, sun dried tomatoes, onion (the onion you just sauteed in that skillet), pepper, no salt seasoning, red pepper or anything else you think would add flavor to this mound of vegetable gloriousness.

Mix it with your hands (this is wear the gloves come in handy).

Transfer mixture to loaf pan (did you remember to coat it with spray or oil?), gently pressing down and mounding it in the middle. Now at this point, I brushed on olive oil on the top of the mound. Often vegan things can dry out really quickly in the oven.

Bake until firm and golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing (with a serrated knife) and serving.

Nutrition:

Per serving (6 oz, 172 g if you weigh your food): 180 calories, 5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 254 mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate (6g fiber, 4g sugar), 8g protein

Budget: $0.82 per serving

Serve this with:

Amy's Vegan Macaroni and Cheese or Mashed Red Potatoes
and
Steamed Broccoli

Enjoy!!!

Updates on the happy heart coming very soon.

January Blues and Sunshiny Days

Blogging While Sleepy

These January days here in Seattle have been interesting to say the least. The sun shines in the morning and then starts to go away by 1 pm. It is no wonder that Seattle is the capitol coffee city. You need it just to stay awake.

I am No Coffee Drinker

So is it just the short amount of sun during the day that is keeping me sleepy or is the medication

or is it my heart?

I have a Vitamin D deficiency, which causes fatigue, tiredness, loss of concentration, heart disease, rickets...(thank goodness I am too old to get rickets) but this is why I am so tired during the day. I have just developed this deficiency. Between the medication I am currently taking, hormonal and mineral imbalances and lack of sunlight, I have developed this wonderful deficiency. The quick fix is to take 50,000 IUs once a week for the next 6 weeks. I hope this does this trick.

I urge each and everyone of you to get a Vitamin D blood test to see if you are deficient.

YAWN...I will come back after my afternoon nap.

AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT

Test Day

Good Evening! Today was echo cardiogram day. Can I first let you know that today started out a wonderful day. The sun actually shined on my face today. You don't know how much I needed that dose of Vitamin D. Seattle can be one depressing place when the sun does not shine for a few days.

The Test

Chris was the wonderful technician who preformed the test today. He was very friendly and personable. He also showed me the inter workings of my heart on sonogram. It was nice to have someone take the time to explain to me how one determines how efficient your heart actually is...

Well, the 25 minute test actually took about 15 minutes. So, I figured there was not a whole lot to see. Which is a great thing.

Well no. It was not a great thing. My EF has gone down to 25%. Yes 25%. I couldn't believe it either. I had been doing so well. Hump.

Well the news wasn't all bad. My blood pressure is better. Now I am running in the 100's/70's. All this means is my body will be able to take high dosages of medicine so that my heart will have an opportunity to rest a little better.

Also, my valves are no longer leaking and my heart size is shrinking...oh happy day. SO, the only thing I have to worry about is having major heart failure (not a heart attack) and dying. Oh goodie. How do we keep that from happening? Well, behind door number one there is the pacemaker, behind door number two is $1000.00...well Bob could you tell me what is behind door number three????

The Life Vest

The World's First Wearable Defibrillator

It's a holster, it's a fanny pack, it's a life saver wrapped into one

Essentially, you strap this contraption around your body and wear a electrical device on your hip. If my heart starts to short circuit this contraption shocks the crap out of my heart...and me. I pick it up tomorrow.

What's the 411

Well, I am still on four medications. The newest one, Atacand, I will now take twice daily. I have to add Vitamin D to my diet and I have to add two more days of exercise. So that means daily. I am not too happy about that but, what I can I do.

Wish me luck and send me some comments and funny stories. Looks like I will be here for a few more months...three to be exact.

2010 IS HERE!!!!

Updates:

I am still in Seattle

Yes folks, I am still in Seattle. We managed to get through the entire holiday with a little bit of rain and mild days. I am so glad because I don't think my body could have handled the frigid cold that blew from coast to coast.

8 Foot Christmas Tree

So, my Dad purchased this massive tree. Massive to me because for the last few years I have been decorating my bamboo stalks during the Christmas season.

My Mom broke out the 50 gallon tube full of ornaments from many Christmases ago. Every ornament she handed to my niece, to put on the tree, had a story. Some stories I remembered, some stories I had never heard. This was my Christmas wish.

My Husband was so sweet to me this Christmas. He gave me pajamas and booties!!! I am always complaining about my legs and toes being so cold (mostly cause my Dad doesn't turn on the heat) so, he thought it would be fitting and boy was it.

Bringing in the New Year

No fancy parties, no horns and whistles. Just me and the Hubby sharing a bunch of grapes (Cuban tradition) and a sip of sparkling wine to bring in the New Year (American and European tradition). Of course, I had the collard greens and black eyed peas simmering on the stove top (Southern Black folk tradition) for much prosperity and good luck. I think I will have some more for lunch.

Gained 2.6 lbs

So that puts me at 147.6 lbs. It is really my fault. I have been bad to bone when it has come to eating and exercising. I have been eating and have not been exercising. All of my comfort foods have come into play. French fries, chili, chips, salsa, chocolate mousse cake, waffles, and my newest addition, BBQ Pop Chips. So, on New Year's Day, I turned over a newer leaf and went back to my old low sodium, no fat, no taste (smile) cardiac diet.

As far as the exercising, I am starting that today. I have a new Wii game (The Biggest Loser) that I am going to try on for size to see if I can fit it into my workout regimen. I will keep you posted.

COOK BOOK

I will be finished with the cook book before July 5, 2010. The book will have wonderful recipes for vegans, vegetarians, meat eaters and gluten-free folks as well. I will keep everyone posted on this as well.

My next echo-cardiogram is on January 12, 2010 (My Hubby's Birthday). I will post the results as soon as I get them.

MERRY NEW YEAR