Probiotics
I’ve been having stomach problems for a long time now, but the other night they were so bad that I ended up in the hospital because of the pain. After X-rays, EKG’s and all the other stuff, it turns out my digestive system is a mess. One of the things I’m doing to help fix that long term is to begin taking a probiotic.
According to WebMD: “Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines. The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system. The largest group of probiotic bacteria in the intestine is lactic acid bacteria, of which Lactobacillusacidophilus, found in yogurt with live cultures, is the best known. Yeast is also a probiotic substance. Probiotics are also available as dietary supplements.”
I’ve also read that Probiotics can help with weight loss. Let’s hope that happens for me!! Here is the probiotic that I’ve chosen. You can buy these OTC.
Spicy fruit
I went to the doctor recently for my stomach problems. Turns out I’m not eating enough fiber. I don’t really like fruit, but luckily the ladies at work recently introduced me to Tajin. It’s a spicy blend that you put on fruit to give it a kick. Let me tell you, since trying it, I am addicted. I’m hoping that this will make me eat more fruit and I will have fewer stomach issues in the future!!! 
American Flag Swimsuit
I’m not sure why, but I’ve always wanted an American Flag swimsuit for the 4th of July. My eyes are always drawn to them at the stores, but they are always too skimpy or have something weird about them. Imagine my surprise when I saw the perfect flag swimsuit at WALMART!! Yes. It is mine now. I may never wear it, but at least I finally have one!!!
Apartment gardening
One of the things I miss about living in a house is that I don’t have a yard, so I can’t plant a garden. I don’t really have a green thumb or anything, I just like to pretend! I’m really lucky though, because my awesome new loft has a great patio. I decided to use some of my patio space to plant a potted garden. Right after I planted it, it got cold again, then it rained a lot, so I think that my plants may not make it, but I’m going to keep trying with them. I planted a jalapeño pepper, squash, flowers, and tomatoes. I’ve already had a huge harvest on my tomatoes as you will see in the picture!!
Jalapeño pepper – as you can see there are mushrooms growing in the dirt. I’m sure that’s from all the rain.
The squash doesn’t look too good. I read that when it gets yellow, it has too much water. All the rain must not be good for it.
I just thought the red and pink flowers were pretty. The other ones are left over from my camping trip.
My tomato plan has lots of tomatoes on it. I hope the birds don’t figure it out and start eating them!! My first harvest!! I may never have to go to the grocery store again!!! lol
STAAR Video
It’s almost time for the STAAR test!! I hope you all enjoy the video my school made to pump the kids up so they will do their best on the STAAR!! Can’t wait until the kids see it on Monday at our Pep Rally!! Click on the link to watch! It’s AWESOME!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WislP6TFoY
Boot season, Tory, and Ebates!
I declared that it was boot season way back in September. I think since that day, I’ve worn boots every day. I went to work one day and found that my heel had a crack in them, so I, sadly, HAD to go buy some new boots. I don’t like to spend a lot of money on clothes because I like a LOT of clothes. I always bargain shop! I went to DSW and found some very similar to the ones I had. They’re Unisa, so they are really comfortable. They also have a pretty wide leg, which is great since I have big legs!
I am also in LOVE with Tory Burch. I got this Tory Burch purse and some Tory Burch earrings for Christmas. (You can’t see the earrings in the picture, but they are SUPER cute. I’ll have to remember to take a picture of them some day.) We got a really good deal on them because we got them online through Ebates and Nordstrom.
If you haven’t heard of Ebates, you need to sign up NOW. It will change your online shopping habits forever. All you have to do is sign up. You’ll get a free gift card right away just for signing up. Then ANY time you want to buy online, just go to Ebates first, find out if the store you want to buy from has an agreement with them, click on the store, then shop normally. Ebates tracks the sale and then you get some money back!!! So for my Tory Burch purse and earrings, I get back $21.60 because Nordstroms was doing 6% back. Nordstroms has free shipping, so it was cheaper than buying in the store!! YEA me!! Another good deal!
Rustic
We went to a celebratory lunch at the Rustic today. I had what might possibly be the best hamburger I’ve ever had in my life. They also have bands that play there at night. I can’t wait to go there on a Friday or Saturday night! I highly recommend going there!
Campout Chicken Taco Soup
Instead of dealing with all the drunks out on the road for New Year’s Eve, I decided to head out to Lake Tawakoni and go camping. I guess I should use the word “camping” lightly, because going in a travel trailer isn’t exactly roughing it! In fact, a lot of people actually LIVE in their travel trailers. I stayed at the Sunset Resort; I think 99% of the people who were there actually live there. My two favorite parts of the trip were starting a campfire each day and cooking out, not that I cooked over the campfire or anything.
One of the best things I cooked was a Chicken Taco Soup. I’m not sure why, but everything tastes better when it’s cooked outside, even if you use regular kitchen utensils like I did. This crockpot soup was made ALMOST entirely from cans so it was really EASY!! Not only that, I bought all generic cans, so it was really cheap!
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (15.25 oz.) can sweet corn, drained
- 1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
- 1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 Shredded Rotisserie Chicken
Pour all of the ingredients in the crockpot, cook on high for as long as you want. I think I had it on for a couple hours. Stir it occasionally.
Garnish it with chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, or anything else you can come up with! This was delicious!!! I will probably even make this for dinner at home!!
Storybook Character Parade
My favorite holiday is Halloween! There is nothing more fun than coming up with what you want to be and then going out on the search to find whatever it takes to become that person/thing. It’s really rewarding when it all comes together! This year instead of a normal costume parade, we did a Storybook Character Parade! The office staff dressed up as Disney Fairies. I was impressed that people really committed to their characters! Big fun was had by all! I’m so lucky to work with such wonderful people in such a wonderful place!!
Fabulous after FIFTY 