what are you doing right now?

[weltschmerz]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Detoxification_foot_baths
Detoxification foot baths, also known as foot detox, ionic cleansing, ionic foot bath and aqua/water detox are pseudoscientific and alternative medical devices marketed as being able to remove toxins from the human body. They work by providing an electric current to an electrode array immersed in a salt water solution. When switched on, the electrodes rapidly rust in a chemical process called electrolysis which quickly turns the water brown. This reaction happens regardless of whether or not a person's feet are immersed in the water and no toxins from the human body have ever been detected in the water after use.

[Deleted]

Just when I thought local social media could not hit another peak of stupidity, a neighbor posted on Nextdoor that the guy strolling up around all the houses with his dog was an employee of the gas company and the dog was specially trained to smell natural gas and detect leaks. I'm thinking I have a bridge or two to sell my neighbor . Let's see, no truck, no uniform, no ID lanyard. Nope, not the utility company. And no natural gas supply in the front of our homes-only in the back yards.

[countrygirl2]

I was reading about Truvia, wondering if it's really a healthy sugar substitute. Come to find out not a lot of research on it and it's made from GMO grain, that did it for me. I try to avoid that stuff like a plaque. But we are going to finish the box I have. Found several natual ones, I hope, will have to look up the names again to get them. It also said there were likely chemicals in it that we don't know about.

Another reason I like to raise anything I can.

I picked quite a few really nice tomatoes, some peppers, and also cucumbers. If it doesn't freeze soon will have more cukes and quite a few tomatoes. If I hear it's going to freeze will pick all the green ones and bring them in to ripen. Looks like the green beans are gone and should pull the plants.

Smokey bounced out to the garden with me and hung out while I picked. Then he followed me back to the house. He is like a puppy sometimes. I fed them both their dinners, they were so hungry. 

My kids did have a couple of pets but they were more mine. They weren't afraid of them, if they had been I might have had to rethink keeping them. One time we had a sweet little dog, but kids on bikes would torment him so he went after them. My mom took him, he had a great home there in the country.

Have all the tops and sweaters I brought up washed and in my closet. I have more items to take downstairs, tomorrow need to take a bunch of DD's downstairs. I think I said I ordered her two pair of pants and some tops from Lands End yesterday, fleece tops. She now has 4 pair of good fitting pants and some nice tops, will start winter being nice and warm. She has shoes and boots that are warm too and jammies. Will have to look coats over to see if any still fit her.

I am thrilled ended up with a 3 month supply of Nexlizet for $61, what a deal. I wish it would stay that cheap but sadly it won't.

 

[countrygirl2]

Oh, I know, I just do it because it feels so good on my poor feet. I've only done it one other time, but footsies have not been feeling so good of late. The massage was heaven as he adjusts the pressure on my bad foot so that it's heavenly. An hour of that would not be enough, I love my feet being massaged.

We just had some frozen lemon pie. Very good.

[finnime]

  soupandstew. That is a good one.

[Deleted]

After an hour or so texting with a great friend and neighbor, I was able to get a solid recommendation of a Spanish-speaking estate planning attorney for another friend's mom. Dealing with our complex state and national laws around inheritance is not easy for anyone, much less someone who's not an English speaker. I'm sort of hoping for some Salvadoran tamales in my Christmas stocking.

[Deleted]

Sept 26, 2022 19:01:41 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

I was reading about Truvia, wondering if it's really a healthy sugar substitute. Come to find out not a lot of research on it and it's made from GMO grain, that did it for me. I try to avoid that stuff like a plaque. But we are going to finish the box I have. Found several natual ones, I hope, will have to look up the names again to get them. It also said there were likely chemicals in it that we don't know about.

Another reason I like to raise anything I can.

I picked quite a few really nice tomatoes, some peppers, and also cucumbers. If it doesn't freeze soon will have more cukes and quite a few tomatoes. If I hear it's going to freeze will pick all the green ones and bring them in to ripen. Looks like the green beans are gone and should pull the plants.

Smokey bounced out to the garden with me and hung out while I picked. Then he followed me back to the house. He is like a puppy sometimes. I fed them both their dinners, they were so hungry. 

My kids did have a couple of pets but they were more mine. They weren't afraid of them, if they had been I might have had to rethink keeping them. One time we had a sweet little dog, but kids on bikes would torment him so he went after them. My mom took him, he had a great home there in the country.

Have all the tops and sweaters I brought up washed and in my closet. I have more items to take downstairs, tomorrow need to take a bunch of DD's downstairs. I think I said I ordered her two pair of pants and some tops from Lands End yesterday, fleece tops. She now has 4 pair of good fitting pants and some nice tops, will start winter being nice and warm. She has shoes and boots that are warm too and jammies. Will have to look coats over to see if any still fit her.

I am thrilled ended up with a 3 month supply of Nexlizet for $61, what a deal. I wish it would stay that cheap but sadly it won't.

 

Please give us a link to your research on this.  I use store brand sweeteners from the stevia family and can't find any info citing grain, GMO, or otherwise as an ingredient. 

[Opti]

I think she may be referencing what the Erythritol is usually made from. Commercially it is often made by glucose from corn. Not sure how much impact that has as as an ingredient, there should be less of it than Stevia leaf. 


www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/erythritol


Erythritol is the only sugar alcohol permitted for use in soft drinks (permitted in the European Union in 2015). It can be used as a flavour enhancer only, in energy reduced or no added sugar soft drinks at a maximum usage level of 1.6%. It works with intense sweeteners to improve the flavour profile and mouthfeel of soft drinks.


www.truvia.com/products/truvia-packets

Ingredients

Erythritol



Stevia Leaf Extract



Natural Flavors

[countrygirl2]

Here is one article:


All, Food, Health & Mindset

Truvia’s Sweet Scam: Highly Processed, GMO, and Contains Hardly Any Stevia

Daisy Luther

June 15, 2015


I use honey in my oatmeal. And I'm thinking sugar in limited quantities may be as healthy, who knows anymore.

[finnime]

Good morning, undefeated invisipeeps, waging battles against disorder of home and health. It's another day. I think I'll call it Tuesday and see how far that gets me. I hope you enjoy a day of peace and ease in which all your efforts are useful.

Yesterday's talk at the town hall was very interesting, on the rescue of many of the crew from two different oil tankers that were torn in half in the ocean by storm-driven wave action. This happened close to here in 1952. There were a number of casualties in the frigid water but most did survive thanks to the Coast Guard. One of the survivors and heroes of the night was from this town.

The author of the story saw his book adapted by Disney into a movie of the same name, The Finest Hours. The movie focused on just one of the ships, and just one half of that ship, so as to avoid confusing viewers.

Today I'll plant some bulbs in a little naked garden in front of the house. And, make plans for our trip next week to Maryland with a visit to Virginia. Before that Franklin the Dog and I will watch the sun rise. This was yesterday's dawn:

[Opti]

Sept 26, 2022 22:53:08 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Here is one article:


All, Food, Health & Mindset

Truvia’s Sweet Scam: Highly Processed, GMO, and Contains Hardly Any Stevia

Daisy Luther

June 15, 2015


I use honey in my oatmeal. And I'm thinking sugar in limited quantities may be as healthy, who knows anymore.

There is no link in your post nor even a paragraph or more from the article. Most of the sweeteners containing Stevia or Monkfruit are mostly binders because the main ingredient is so sweet. (For sweeteners in crystalized form. Some even contain a small amount of sugar/sucrose for taste.)

I think it really depends on how much you use. Also, it appears she makes a living writing about being frugal and prepping. Not sure I'd trust her on dietary advice. Does she compare Truvia with other highly processed sweeteners like sugar? 

I have used Truvia and rarely use more than half a packet to sweeten anything. I do not use it for baking, 

[daisylu]

I found this about Truvia:


The primary ingredient in Truvia is erythritol.



Erythritol is a sugar alcohol found in some natural foods like fruits. It can also be extracted and refined for use as a sweetener.



According to its website, Cargill manufactures erythritol by processing corn into a food-grade starch and fermenting it with yeast. This product is then purified further to create erythritol crystals.



The chemical structure of sugar alcohols allows them to stimulate the sweet taste receptors on your tongue.



Sugar alcohols are common in the Western diet. Aside from erythritol, they include xylitol, sorbitol, and maltitol.



But erythritol appears to be quite different from the others. It has a unique chemical structure that makes it resistant to digestion.



Most of it goes unchanged through your body and is eliminated via your urine — so it provides almost no calories and has none of the harmful metabolic effects of excess sugar (4Trusted Source).



Multiple long-term animal studies on metabolism and toxicity show no negative effects of erythritol consumption (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).


link

[daisylu]

Was excited to realize that DH has the next couple of weekends off. And then I realized deer season starts this weekend. He usually hunts morning and evening. And I also remembered there is very little freezer space.

[Opti]

Sept 26, 2022 19:01:41 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

I was reading about Truvia, wondering if it's really a healthy sugar substitute. Come to find out not a lot of research on it and it's made from GMO grain, that did it for me. I try to avoid that stuff like a plaque. But we are going to finish the box I have. Found several natual ones, I hope, will have to look up the names again to get them. It also said there were likely chemicals in it that we don't know about.

Another reason I like to raise anything I can.

I picked quite a few really nice tomatoes, some peppers, and also cucumbers. If it doesn't freeze soon will have more cukes and quite a few tomatoes. If I hear it's going to freeze will pick all the green ones and bring them in to ripen. Looks like the green beans are gone and should pull the plants.

Smokey bounced out to the garden with me and hung out while I picked. Then he followed me back to the house. He is like a puppy sometimes. I fed them both their dinners, they were so hungry. 

My kids did have a couple of pets but they were more mine. They weren't afraid of them, if they had been I might have had to rethink keeping them. One time we had a sweet little dog, but kids on bikes would torment him so he went after them. My mom took him, he had a great home there in the country.

Have all the tops and sweaters I brought up washed and in my closet. I have more items to take downstairs, tomorrow need to take a bunch of DD's downstairs. I think I said I ordered her two pair of pants and some tops from Lands End yesterday, fleece tops. She now has 4 pair of good fitting pants and some nice tops, will start winter being nice and warm. She has shoes and boots that are warm too and jammies. Will have to look coats over to see if any still fit her.

I am thrilled ended up with a 3 month supply of Nexlizet for $61, what a deal. I wish it would stay that cheap but sadly it won't.

 

Truvia is a brand, not a sweetener. It really depends IMO how you plan to use it and why. Too much sugar, bad, no matter where it comes from. Some are worse than others like HCFS and most of the cheap liquid agave on the market. I think its wise to draw a line between the base sweetener like Stevia or sugar and how its manufactured and which products you choose to use.

When I had a better paying job and lived in a house, I often used Sucanat, sugar cane natural, for baking as it was a less processed sugar. Your means and what you want to sweeten should guide your choices IMO.

[seriousthistime]

Sept 27, 2022 6:55:58 GMT -5 daisylu said:

I found this about Truvia:


The primary ingredient in Truvia is erythritol.



Erythritol is a sugar alcohol found in some natural foods like fruits. It can also be extracted and refined for use as a sweetener.



According to its website, Cargill manufactures erythritol by processing corn into a food-grade starch and fermenting it with yeast. This product is then purified further to create erythritol crystals.



The chemical structure of sugar alcohols allows them to stimulate the sweet taste receptors on your tongue.



Sugar alcohols are common in the Western diet. Aside from erythritol, they include xylitol, sorbitol, and maltitol.



But erythritol appears to be quite different from the others. It has a unique chemical structure that makes it resistant to digestion.



Most of it goes unchanged through your body and is eliminated via your urine — so it provides almost no calories and has none of the harmful metabolic effects of excess sugar (4Trusted Source).



Multiple long-term animal studies on metabolism and toxicity show no negative effects of erythritol consumption (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).


link

The sugar alcohols (substances that end in -ol) produce a negative effect in people with fructose intolerance.  Ask me how I know.    My GI doctor said that, barring any real medical need to avoid sugar, a teaspoon of sugar has 15 calories and it is better to just watch the amount of sugar I eat in a day rather than switch to any of the sugar substitutes. 

I also have to be careful of the fruits I eat. I have to stay away from the stone fruits (peaches, plums, cherries, apricots) and focus on small amounts of apples, citrus fruits, and berries.  Honey and agave sugar are high in fructose, as is monk fruit sweetener (because of what they mix into it).  The way to minimize the effects of fructose consumed is to have an equal amount of fructose and glucose.  Table sugar is about 50-50 so it's fine. Oddly, high fructose corn syrup is okay because it contains about the same amount of glucose as it does fructose. 

[andi9899]

Sept 26, 2022 16:55:17 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Sept 26, 2022 16:31:42 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Not sure where you read that I said they weren't taking care of them. I am aware that people have outside dogs. I just asked you a question.

If someone has children that are afraid of dogs, I don't understand why they would have dogs living with said children. I also don't see why they thought it was a good idea to take a random dog to them.

You're afraid of bugs. Would you want to live in a house with tarantulas in the yard as long as they were outside? Then if someone brought you a black widow to see then it's OK because it's small. You can say I'm exaggerating, but a GSD is a rather large dog, especially when you are a small child. See why I'm questioning it?

No, I don’t. 

When I’ve been inside their house, whatever dog that was inside at the time was in a different part of the house than the twins. They have a pretty big house, much bigger than mine,  with 2 floors. There were also baby gates on several doorways, Idk if that was for the toddlers or the dog.

Mr. T has always had dogs. Not only is he a fan of the breed, he is serious enough about his dogs’ pedigrees that they are also a source of income for him. From what I’ve seen, he takes precautions to keep his dogs from bothering neighbors, and he doesn’t let them run around and terrorize his toddlers. The twins don’t have to interact with the dogs, and everybody is happy, including the twins and the dogs.

Again, I’m not sure why you keep trying to make a big deal out of it, when I keep explaining and trying to make it clear that Mr. T is not a horrible dog owner, or a bad parent. 

Yeah, I’m afraid of bugs, and as long as someone tried to show me a black widow without putting it on me, I can deal, even if I get upset about it. Mrs T did not try to force the twins to touch Boy or whatever…… when it was clear they didn’t want anything to do with him even though he was a puppy and tiny, she came back with him. 

I'm not making a big deal out of anything. I'm asking questions to make sure I understand. Here's what I have so far.

Pink: The Ts have twins that are afraid of dogs including the ones they live with. Mrs T decided to take boy to see if they are afraid of him too and they are. Lol.

Me: WTF?! Why would someone do that?!

Pink: Why do you think she took him there to scare them? The dogs don't go inside.

Me: So they're outside dogs? What happens when it gets really hot or cold?

Pink: Why do you think they don't take care of their dogs? People have outside dogs.

And you can say you would be fine with bugs in the house as long as they weren't on you but we all know that's BS. Wasn't it you who was recruiting one of the kids to shoo away a grasshopper off the deck from inside the house?

I'm just saying that I don't know why someone would think that it's OK to have dogs in a house where they have kids that are afraid of dogs. I'm not assuming that they are horrible parents or pet owners. Just trying to wrap my brain around why someone would do that.

[andi9899]

Sept 26, 2022 16:58:06 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

For those who get massages, how much do you tip? I haven't had one in several years because they are expensive, $125/hour for the cheap chain places in strip centers, plus tip. Back in 2019, I tipped $25 but that adds up to a lot of $$$

I get monthly massages and I tip 20% like I would for anything else.

[andi9899]

Sept 26, 2022 17:35:00 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I felt sorry for Gus this morning because he wanted outside so bad and let him go.  Shouldn't have done that.  He was moving pretty slow tonight.  I didn't give him pain meds in the morning before I let him out because I didn't want him doing things he shouldn't be, so it's part being out on the hard ground and part no meds.  Back to solitary confinement.  Probably for the rest of the week at least with maybe a couple hours out in the evenings.

Poor Gus. I hope he gets better soon.

[Empire the P.A.]

Made a double batch of pikelets (small pancakes) for the family. Everyone enjoyed them and now I’m just catching up here and a bit on Facebook. I like seeing updates on fb friends but I’m tired of all the ads and political rantings. I might take a break from it. I do use the hide future posts option but they are like cockroaches, they keep coming back. 

[raeoflyte]

Sept 27, 2022 8:26:06 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Sept 26, 2022 16:55:17 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

No, I don’t. 

When I’ve been inside their house, whatever dog that was inside at the time was in a different part of the house than the twins. They have a pretty big house, much bigger than mine,  with 2 floors. There were also baby gates on several doorways, Idk if that was for the toddlers or the dog.

Mr. T has always had dogs. Not only is he a fan of the breed, he is serious enough about his dogs’ pedigrees that they are also a source of income for him. From what I’ve seen, he takes precautions to keep his dogs from bothering neighbors, and he doesn’t let them run around and terrorize his toddlers. The twins don’t have to interact with the dogs, and everybody is happy, including the twins and the dogs.

Again, I’m not sure why you keep trying to make a big deal out of it, when I keep explaining and trying to make it clear that Mr. T is not a horrible dog owner, or a bad parent. 

Yeah, I’m afraid of bugs, and as long as someone tried to show me a black widow without putting it on me, I can deal, even if I get upset about it. Mrs T did not try to force the twins to touch Boy or whatever…… when it was clear they didn’t want anything to do with him even though he was a puppy and tiny, she came back with him. 

I'm not making a big deal out of anything. I'm asking questions to make sure I understand. Here's what I have so far.

Pink: The Ts have twins that are afraid of dogs including the ones they live with. Mrs T decided to take boy to see if they are afraid of him too and they are. Lol.

Me: WTF?! Why would someone do that?!

Pink: Why do you think she took him there to scare them? The dogs don't go inside.

Me: So they're outside dogs? What happens when it gets really hot or cold?

Pink: Why do you think they don't take care of their dogs? People have outside dogs.

And you can say you would be fine with bugs in the house as long as they weren't on you but we all know that's BS. Wasn't it you who was recruiting one of the kids to shoo away a grasshopper off the deck from inside the house?

I'm just saying that I don't know why someone would think that it's OK to have dogs in a house where they have kids that are afraid of dogs. I'm not assuming that they are horrible parents or pet owners. Just trying to wrap my brain around why someone would do that.

Would you think it's OK to get rid of dogs someone has had for a long time because their kids were afraid of them?

I ask because most "pet people" lose their mind when a family is trying to make that choice. Dh worked at a shelter and had coworkers who literally used the excuse that the -highly aggressive - dog was there first so it was the kid who should be rehomed. I wish I was joking.

[Deleted]

Sept 27, 2022 8:27:31 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Sept 26, 2022 16:58:06 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

For those who get massages, how much do you tip? I haven't had one in several years because they are expensive, $125/hour for the cheap chain places in strip centers, plus tip. Back in 2019, I tipped $25 but that adds up to a lot of $$$

I get monthly massages and I tip 20% like I would for anything else.

Thank you, Andi.  

[Deleted]

countrygirl2 Thanks for your reply. I read the blog post you listed and it's not exactly a fact-based study. She seems to start with a basic premise that certain companies and their products are inherently flawed, and then throws out a word salad of personal opinion and innuendo to support it. I'm a data-driven person so she wasn't convincing to me.

Opti and daisylu Thank you for your responses - I really learned a lot. Ironically, my store-brand stevia sweetener uses maltodextrin rather than erythritol.

seriousthistime Your post was really enlightening and it must be somewhat challenging to balance those sensitivities.

The only sweetener I strictly avoid is xylitol because of its tendency to cause diahhrea in susceptible people. Back in my working days, a well-meaning staffer put out bowls of xylitol-sweetened hard candy around the office. We closed early that day

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Dogs are gross.

Yesterday, I was putting away groceries from my Costco run.  I split the sealed package of chicken, but cut into the chicken part.  I went to pick it up. Chicken juice dripped across the floor into a huge puddle.  My phone rang.  I threw the chicken into the sink to repackage, and went to grab m6 phone.  I went to get the Swiffer, and came back to a clean kitchen floor.  It took me a few minutes to realize that Harriet had lapped up the juice.  

Then this morning as I was making coffee, Sheldon hurled (unusually, on the tile floor!).  Before I could finish setting up the coffee, Harriet had swooped in and ate her second breakfast.

[countrygirl2]

I use one package of sweetener daily for my cup of coffee. I cannot use sorbitol, it makes me sick at my stomach. I couldn't figure out years ago, why diet 7-Up made me sick. In a magazine I got found an article saying it could, same with certain types of chewing gum. Had to quit drinking it.

I started using honey in my oatmeal and like that, but don't use much. Hubs uses it too and we both like it.

Our massages cost $40, I tip $5, sometimes $10, here I doubt some tip at all. DD may not remember to do it, so will tip for both of us.

We tip wait people well and if they are super good, hubs will leave more. Other than those two we don't tip around here.

In a good mood this morning, hope all of you are too.

I used the slow cooker overnight but it's some pinto beans I think are old. I pitched the rest of them. Put them on the stove for a bit but not sure we will have them tonight, will see how they taste a bit later.

Simple things to do today. Wash my and DD's hair, hopefully back to paperwork. Somme more clothing downstairs. 

We have a wonderful little restaurant in town called Petty Pit Stop, they have healthy foods. Salads galore, smoothies, grains like quinoa and others. Of course other items like biscuits and gravy which DD always has. Yesterday the salad I ate was just great. Had dried cranberries, sweetened pecans, onions, feta cheese, spring lettuce blend, boiled eggs, apples,

and the lettuce and greens are cut small so easy to eat. It's topped with strawberry balsamic dressing. Their salads are to die for. But next time will get a half order, the thing was huge. This morning we both had a banana and milk for breakfast. I do that with her once or twice a week so she gets some fruit.

[countrygirl2]

The only sweetener I strictly avoid is xylitol because of its tendency to cause diahhrea in susceptible people. Back in my working days, a well-meaning staffer put out bowls of xylitol-sweetened hard candy around the office. We closed early that day

Maybe I need to use it, might help me, LOL!

Soup, there was a better article than that one, but I couldn't find it again. You are correct that one was poor but still covered the issues.

[daisylu]

For the little I would use in coffee, I'd use real sugar. I use local honey in my teas.

[countrygirl2]

I seem to be doing better healthwise. Blood work comes back great, my vitals. Sure I have issues, who doesn't have some at our age? But since we are only having to see docs about every 6 months, think we are doing well.

Two exams we do need are a colonoscopy and a mammogram and we will get those. Even hubs is taking care of himself and I never thought he would.

Our son is going to have one eye fixed if insurance will do it. He has a cataract and some condition in the eye. I never remember what it is. When it hits him, he says the pain in it is excruciating, he said if he can get it done, he is going to pay $3500 extra to have some lense put in it. He said his other eye is fine and then he won't have to wear glasses.  Since most of his work is on the computer, I'm sure it's causing him issues.

I am thankful for so much. Enough savings and income to have a decent life and we have no needs. Our DD who though I wish she could live life more still likes living with us and is not hard to handle anymore. She is way more pleasant than she used to be. A son that makes an excellent living for his family and is happy in his profession, that is so important.

I do wish we could move near son and family, but it would really put us in a financial bind I think, so might cause us a lot of stress. But who knows something may work out yet.

So I try to look at all the positives. And finally am getting the meds I need and right now at a reasonable price. Who knows what next year will bring. But we do have expenses we could cut if we had to, so still could live well. 

So i need to dwell on the good and be appreciative. 

And of course I have my beautiful, loving kitties, they add so much to my life. And hubs has worked to get along with Smoke and they are doing so much better. He took my advice and they are doing better. My sweet baby, is on the back of my recliner now and he will likely be on my lap soon.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Sept 27, 2022 10:01:22 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

The only sweetener I strictly avoid is xylitol because of its tendency to cause diahhrea in susceptible people. Back in my working days, a well-meaning staffer put out bowls of xylitol-sweetened hard candy around the office. We closed early that day

Maybe I need to use it, might help me, LOL!

Soup, there was a better article than that one, but I couldn't find it again. You are correct that one was poor but still covered the issues.

You might want to read about sugarless gummy bears,  there are some pretty epic Amazon reviews that will change your mind.

www.amazon.com/review/R2JGNJ5ZPJT4YC 

[Deleted]

Sept 27, 2022 9:58:12 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

I use one package of sweetener daily for my cup of coffee. I cannot use sorbitol, it makes me sick at my stomach. I couldn't figure out years ago, why diet 7-Up made me sick. In a magazine I got found an article saying it could, same with certain types of chewing gum. Had to quit drinking it.

I started using honey in my oatmeal and like that, but don't use much. Hubs uses it too and we both like it.

Our massages cost $40, I tip $5, sometimes $10, here I doubt some tip at all. DD may not remember to do it, so will tip for both of us.

We tip wait people well and if they are super good, hubs will leave more. Other than those two we don't tip around here.

In a good mood this morning, hope all of you are too.

I used the slow cooker overnight but it's some pinto beans I think are old. I pitched the rest of them. Put them on the stove for a bit but not sure we will have them tonight, will see how they taste a bit later.

Simple things to do today. Wash my and DD's hair, hopefully back to paperwork. Somme more clothing downstairs. 

We have a wonderful little restaurant in town called Petty Pit Stop, they have healthy foods. Salads galore, smoothies, grains like quinoa and others. Of course other items like biscuits and gravy which DD always has. Yesterday the salad I ate was just great. Had dried cranberries, sweetened pecans, onions, feta cheese, spring lettuce blend, boiled eggs, apples,

and the lettuce and greens are cut small so easy to eat. It's topped with strawberry balsamic dressing. Their salads are to die for. But next time will get a half order, the thing was huge. This morning we both had a banana and milk for breakfast. I do that with her once or twice a week so she gets some fruit.

CG, you mentioned that your Ninja has a pressure cooking function.  I absolutely love beans in my Instant Pot pressure cooker-no soaking needed and great texture, not too mushy, not too hard.  I made 15-bean and ham soup the other day and it was great.  I diced the onion, carrots, celery and ham early in the day.  Mid-afternoon I sauteed the onion in the Pot, tossed in everything else (beans, carrots, celery, bay leaf, chicken broth, and water), set for 1 hour at high pressure.  It took about 20 minutes to come to pressure.  When done, I quick released the pressure and stirred in a can of diced tomatoes.  Great flavor and freezes well too.  DH is serving it again this weekend.

[jerseygirl]

Those Amazon sugarless gummy bear reviews are epic! My stomach hurt I was laughing so much