I HAVE 43 FIRST COUSINS

Do you cousins?  I have 43 first cousins.

My dad's sister has four: Julia, Shawn, Dana and Erin.

My mother is a Mickler, and with her sisters and brothers, there are 40 first cousins!  

This picture is of aunts, uncles, 1st and 2nd cousins, plus some other relatives at a Mickler Family Reunion.  Photo taken several years ago.

Cousins, one family per line with surname:

Phillip, Shirley, Newmy, Larry, Alfred*, Debbie (Mickler)

Leroy, Barbara Jean*, Lee, Frederick (Hartley)

Randy, Pam (Greene)

Terry, Billy, Charles, Peggy (Riley)

Chucky, Susie (Mickler)

Raymond, Patrick, Stephen, Nancy, Cathy, Jamie* (Mickler)

Kathie, Patty, Marty (Wise)

Susan, Julie, Richard, Chris (Johnson)

Johnny, Chris, Beth (Mickler)

Karen, Sharon, Keith (Howard)

Shannon, Joseph "Bubba", Michelle (Mickler)

*Barbara Jean died as a new infant, Alfred died of crib death around age one, and Jamie had a fatal car accident at age 18.

Amylose Free Diet

AMYLOSE FREE DIET - High Carbohydrate, High Protein and Low Fat. 

Lose the Weight You Hate by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker

Copied from LiveStrong website:

Starch, the primary form of stored carbohydrate in plants, consists of two chemical compounds, amylose and amylopectin. While amylose makes up 10 to 20 percent of natural starches, amylopectin accounts for the remaining 80 to 90 percent. Amylose, which is a straight-chain molecule, takes longer to digest than amylopectin, a multi-branched molecule. Lower or eliminating amylose intake may be beneficial for hypoglycemics, dieters, athletes and others who need quick energy from the food they eat.

Do not skip meals.  Eat 3 meals a day.  The starvation response burns calories from muscles not fat.

Eat adequate amounts of protiens: lean meat and eggs. 

Eat adequate amounts of fruits, but NO bananas

Eat plenty of vegetables, but NO root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, etc.)

Be careful with fats and milk intake.  Limit cheeses and yogurt.  You can eat almonds, cashews and pistachio nuts.

You can eat quinoa , corn, popcorn, baked corn chips, tortilla chips, corn taco shells, corn pasta,  sugar free corn flakes (Natures Path) and grits.  All legumes/beans are okay.

Spices and condiments are okay.

Drink Water! Coffee and unsweet Tea are okay.   Diet soft drinks, but only rarely. 

Moderation in eating includes: eating good food, prepared well, presented pleasingly and eaten with gusto not gluttony.

Avoid starches and breads.  Avoid all cereal grains, breads, pastas, cookies, crackers and cakes.  Avoid wheat, rice, oats, barley, rye, etc.  These are the biggest food problems.

Avoid root vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, yucca, etc.

Avoid sweets; sugars and hidden sugars like dextrose, sucrose, corn syrup and maltodextrin.  Read all labels and avoid all foods with these ingredients. No chocolate, no candy bars and no health/nutrition bars.

No sugary sodas.  No commercial fruit juices - fresh squeezed.

Butt-itis

I am a candle-gainer. You have to dip and dip and dip to get a candle fat enough to be worthwhile.  I'm worthwhile and then some!  When I gain weight, it doesn't go one place, but like a candle, the fat evenly coats my entire body and isn't really noticeable until I've gained an extra ten.  And I think, eh, I will diet next month.

Do you know people that, when they gain weight, they gain it in one place first and it's totally evident that she's been doing some serious eating?   You see a friend you haven't seen in a month, and there's some major badonkadonk going on, and you think, "HOLY COW!  What happened to your behind?!"  I wish so much that when I put on an extra five pounds that I'd get a case of "butt-itis" so severe, nobody could miss that I'd been putting away the groceries, including me.  Inspiration to diet, or not gain in the first place!

So today I had a doctor's appointment with my family doctor.  Dr. Shaw has been treating my family for the entire 24 years we've lived in Apopka.  It was a good appointment, like visiting an old friend.  Like the woman in the mirror, I've watched Dr. Shaw get older and fatter.  We discussed my weight, and I am going to join a program in his office to drop that 40 that somehow creeped onto me like dipping a candle.  I asked the doctor if he was on the program and he laughed, "No, I like to eat too much!"   He did tell me that, although I am fat, I am absolutely the healthiest he's seen in the 24 years I've been his patient.  It's true!  I no longer am going to the rheumatologist, am taking minimal medicine, only when I need it (for RA), and the only other med I need are daily hormones.  Three cheers for hysterectomies!

So I start the diet program with an appointment on Monday.  My inspiration, besides wishing to wear size six (I am only 5'2" - that's the size I should wear) instead of 14,  is first and foremost to take some great photos in a gorgeous dress at Robert and Vanessa's October wedding.  My other inspiration is a trip to Jamaica with my skinny friend  Bonnie in April.  How much can I knock off by April??  Go to church, light a candle, and pray for me!

Ding-Dong The Bells Are Gonna Ring!

Vanessa and Robert are engaged and have set the date for October 22, 2010.  Oh how exciting!  They've started the planning process and are checking their options.  One idea is to get married in Key Largo.  Wherever they choose, I am sure it will be a beautiful wedding.  Mark and I are thrilled that Robert has such a lovely fiancée and we wish them every happiness.  Some of our friends have asked if they will be invited.  It's not my wedding, but I'll see what we can do.

This ring is an incorporation of my original engagement diamond (from a ring my mother-in-law wore), and diamonds from Vanessa's grandmother's ring, plus a couple more thrown in for good measure.  It looks so pretty on Vanessa's tiny hand.

Can't stop singing - "I'm getting married in the morning, ding-dong the bells are gonna ring!"

Angel Food Time!

Have I reported on Angel Food Ministries?  It's a food co-op that is usually through a church as a ministry.  This ministry is not for only the poor.  It is a benefit for the whole community and the more that buy in, the more buying power our dollars pull.  I buy a Bountiful Blessing box and the Premium Fresh Fruit and Veggie box for my family each month.  I also buy the same for my son, a 3rd year law student, and finally, I buy a Bread of Life box for a friend who is going through some tough financial times due to her husband's health.  Her freezer is too small for the bigger box and she says that it actually feeds both of them for the entire month.

Mom and dad buy a box, not really sure which, but momma absolutely loves the Fast and Flavorful (TV dinner) meals, because they are easy, healthy, and low in sodium.  I keep thinking my sista/friend Margaret would enjoy having these in her freezer.  Momma and daddy bought a box for their friend Lucille and she was hooked on the quality of the food and money saving goodness.  We all are!

You go online first, www.angelfoodministries.com and see which location is nearest to you.  I go to a church called Victory World Outreach.  This is not my church and they do not press me to become a member.   The scheduled pickup is the last Saturday of the month and while I'm there, I pay for next month's food.  A volunteer carries the pre-boxed food to my car.   I go online and order everyone else's boxes at their local churches and pay for them online at an additional $2 fee.  The food must be paid for by sometime near the 3rd week of the month (January 23rd online) and picked up on the morning that is scheduled online (last Saturday usually).  When I order food, I always plug my old email address - momwatson6@gmail.com in, and suggest my friends do the same.  One day there will be enough people that purchase because of me and I'll get a free box!

The church earns a buck or two per box that they give food to needy families.  If someone orders and doesn't show, their box is also donated.  The food is good, restaurant quality.  The vegetables in the regular food box are flash frozen and delicious.  No dented cans or seconds!  I donate some things to neighbors, like the humongous five pound bag of waffle fries to the neighbor with four kids.  One box is supposed to feed a person for an entire month.  Of course, you'll probably need bread and the regular extras to go with it, but wow, what a savings!

Chickens, Horses, Dogs

Went to Jacksonville to visit my very dear friend Lisa.  She has three horses and a bunch of chickens.  We drove to her barn with my little doglet Juliet in tow and it turns out she likes chickens.  Alot.  Too much.  She got a wild look in her eyes every time one strutted past.  I really wanted to get a small movable chicken coop/tractor with three or four bantams, but after seeing the lust in Juliet's eyes, I think having my own chickens won't be a good idea.  I really wanted some pet chickens and fresh eggs.  Too bad!

Here I am with the sweetest little hen on earth.  She followed us around.