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Some call me weird!

Different, maybe? Unusual, yes. Picky, definitely! I have issues, I know!

So I will fill you in on some. I know I'm not the only one out there.

Here are a few to get you started:

I will suck the juice of an orange but will not eat the orange.

I love anything tomato based but will not eat a tomato.

I can't eat the ends of a pickle!

I only eat chicken that I personally pull off the bone. 

I won't eat strawberries because they look like they have blackheads on them! 

I will eat applesauce but not an apple. 

I like banana flavored things but won't eat a banana.

I get pizza with beef and cheese but then take the beef off because I like the flavor of it but don't like to eat it. 

I never put ice in my drinks. I'll drink warm soda over watered down soda any day!

I do not try new foods! 

I prefer to be barefoot! Flip flops if I have to wear shoes!

I will and have drank some pretty nasty tasting nutritional supplement drinks but will not eat vegetables!

(A lot of this is related to a Sensory Processing Disorder that I have symptoms of and I have battled it for years.)  

Fibromyalgia and Inflammation

Inflammation? Bloating? Swelling? 

Whatever you call it, I have had it with fibromyalgia! There is debate on whether fibromyalgia (fibro) is in fact an inflammatory issue. As one who has had fibro for over 21 years, I'm no doctor, but it sure feel inflammatory!

Inflammation (Latin, īnflammō, "I ignite, set alight") from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/inflammation 

Inflammation |ˌinfləˈmā sh ən| noun A localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, esp. as a reaction to injury or infection

Inflammation is a normal response the body has to injury. It is suppose to happen quickly and start working on helping the injured area heal. The problem comes when the inflammation stays around for a long period of time. It is not designed that way and when it occurs for any length of time, additional damage can occur. Then the time comes for treatment and discovering the offending reason for the inflammation. 

When my fibro flares up it is centered usually in my traps (trapezius muscle, located where neck meets shoulder) which then causes tension, pain and headaches. I say "usually" because with fibromyalgia the pain can be one place one day and a different, unrelated place the next. There is no rhyme or reason with this syndrome. When the flare up comes it is sometimes like a burning, tearing pain. Sometimes numbing, sometimes tingling like pins and needles. Hard knots, painful tender spots or trigger points are present. I can have a sore spot on a finger that comes out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, and then later a spot on my toe will be flared up. 

People deal with fibromyalgia many different ways because fibro is so different in every person! I myself need regular massages and they need to be deep tissue massages that work out knots and stiff muscles. But many fibro patients can't stand to be touched or even hugged so a deep tissue massage would be torture! Stretching is very helpful whether you get massages or not. 

Chiropractic care has been essential in my care of fibro. I go at least once a week but many times I am there more often. I am blessed that I work for a chiropractor and she has been so helpful in helping me discover which treatments work for me. 

Diet change has helped many as well. Eliminating offending inflammatory foods can alleviate many symptoms and a challenge sometimes to find what is a trigger or not. Eliminating the food for a period of time (2 weeks to a month) and then adding the food back in to see if it an offender is a way to discover what should be removed form the diet. 

Some choose medications. I have not went that route. I don't handle pharmaceutical drugs well at all and have side effects that are sometimes worse than the condition itself! I have found that supplements help far better than medications.  It has been a long process to find what has worked for me. With the help of my chiropractor we have tried many combinations. It can get costly buying vitamins and minerals separate so we have looked for ways to get more for less. Over the years I have tried several supplement companies and through trial and error have found something that has been working for me for over a year now. When looking for a supplement it is important to look for all natural, whole food supplementation that is in a form that the body can efficiently use. I have found It Works Global. Their products have worked better and longer than any other company I have tried! I am a different person than I was before I started these supplements. I still have fibromyalgia and am adjusting diet and exercise daily to continue to improve but It Works has been my life saver and I thank God He brought them into my life and I will always take these products! 

Update: as of January 1, 2019 I still use It Works and I love them. I have added in 2 other products that have helped so much in my journey with fibromyalgia and issues that come with age. I use Zilis CBD oil and Somaderm HGH gel. Check out https://trinalynnconner.weebly.com/my-favorite-products.html for info on them both. 

Sporadic?

sporadic |spəˈradik|

adjective

~Sometimes~ 

~Lacking Consistency~

~Missing Regularity~

~Or at times-Periodic~

Does 63 days between posts count???

Oil Pulling?

I'm back already! 

There has been a lot of posts on Pinterest and Facebook about oil pulling. My chiropractor is trying it and I thought I would also. I have only use it a couple of days now so I have no information on the effects just yet but I do have some articles that are helpful and some tips from my experiences already.
Dr. Mercola is really great at researching and finding the latest information out there. His article on his experience with oil pulling is a good one to read. And it is not just for tooth decay or mouth problems. Another article from oilpulling.com offers a lot of information and is a good one to consult also.
I use coconut oil. In the pic the brand on the left we use for everything!!! Moisturizer, cooking, burns, bug bites, we used it on my granddaughter's bottom after every diaper change and bath and no diaper rash in her first full year! But I got the jar on the right because it is glass and I can put it on the warmer and keep it liquid at all times.

So far my tips would be:

1. Make sure it is liquid, putting solid coconut oil in your mouth and waiting for it to dissolve does not taste good :( (don't microwave - it kills the good benefits of the oil or any food for that matter! Set the oil jar or bottle in warm water or get a warmer like the one I used-Bed, Bath and Beyond-$5.99)
2. Keep busy! Plan on folding a load of laundry or watching tv, anything to keep you from just standing there, swishing in front of the sink. I was able to get up to 15 min while watching tv and then again while cleaning up the kitchen and folding laundry.
3. Find the right amount. For me, exactly 1 Tablespoon was a bit too much but 1/2 a Tablespoon was too little.
4. Don't swallow any of the oil, once you have swished it around it is full of toxins and bacteria.

Saw it on Pinterest!

Addicted is not the right word...not obsessed....more than interested...not really sure. 

I definitely love Pinterest! I do know that. It's one of those things that I really enjoy for a short time but can walk away from once I have viewed a few pages of random people that I don't know and get an insight on what their house, closet, craft room, and pets might look like. And it might be weeks before I sit here again and look for other random people to check out. I have gotten a lot, I mean A LOT of ideas for crafts and how I want my future home to look like! So many cute cats and dogs I would like to have and whoever puts those outfits together is awesome! I myself am not into the recipes but I re-pin them for my cousin, who loves to bake! I have a board for my business of course and hope that it helps me grow by leaps and bounds! So I guess I am semi-addicted or maybe occasionally addicted to Pinterest! Either way I will keep pinning here and there, randomly, like I blog :) 

PTTHHH!!!! :(

I'm back!!! Back to the day to day list of things to do that life requires! Back to the days filled with timelines, chores, errands and just plain old stuff to do! But vacation was fun! I throughly enjoyed my time with my granddaughter, son and daughter-in-law. Business put aside, blogging put aside, even facebook was neglected except for the random pic uploaded here or there.  Just a time for fun with an almost 2 year old, playing with dolls, reading books, dancing, singing, laughing-lots of laughing and giggling. Her giggle is infectious! I miss her already! I'm having withdrawals of hugs, kisses and smiles. So now it is back to work! Gotta make money so Grammy can go see her giggly girl again soon! 

Happy Birthday to Me!

      

Today is my birthday! 

I am 43 years old today! A lot has happened in the last 43 years. 

I will spare you most of those details! You are welcome! 

To treat myself (other than the piece of cake I just had @ 2 am!)
 I made myself a birthday montage of some of my life. 

I thought I would share it with you! Not all of my family made the final cut, 

it would have to be a full length feature film to achieve that, 

but some key players are in there! 

In doing this I have done something that proves I am 

growing up, maturing, learning to accept myself, etc... 

Just a very short time ago I would NEVER have put a video of myself up anywhere, 

not facebook, youtube, anywhere for anyone else to see. 

I have always hated getting my picture taken. 

I have had it taken plenty, good thing or there would be very little footage to use. 

But I hated every picture and wish I wouldn't have stood there and posed. 

In choosing pics for this endeavor I took a good look at myself in them 

and I think, finally, that I don't look half bad in most of them. 

It doesn't bother me that this will be out there for all to see. 

I am definitely not an attention seeker but I'm ok with sharing my life now, 

even if that includes pictures. :)  

Where? When? What?

November!

Where has this year gone? Lots of things happening in November! My birthday! 

The election!  My son's birthday! My daughter-in-law's birthday! 

I get to go to see my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter for 12 days! Thanksgiving! 

So many things, lots to plan for! I am so excited for this month to arrive 

yet astounded that it got here so fast. Need to remember, with so many things on the agenda, to stop and enjoy the moments of celebration, make some memories, 

snap a couple of photos, (or a few hundred, you know me) 

because before we know it, it will be December! 

Do these feet go with this outfit?

A cousin of mine pinned this recently and I re-pinned it on my pinterest board.  I know why she did it, she liked the look of the outfit. She had pinned many other outfits similar right before and after this one. BUT I re-pinned it because I think it is stinking funny! Something is a little off here! Life is so serious, so real, that sometimes you just have to laugh at a headless-armless girl wearing jeans!