Pinterest Review; Decorate Your Plates

Pinterest is a great website. I myself am a HUGE Pinterest addict. And ever since I got my iPhone, I'm on Pinterest every other second of every day. One of Pinterest's major uses is to find fun or nifty crafts that make all your stuff much more unique. These crafts are also usually affordable and seem very simple.
Being a somewhat crafty person, I decided to try one of these neat crafts. I decided to decorate my plain white plates. When I was preparing to move out with my fiance, our goal was to create the majority of our dishes at Create-A-Memory, which is a local shop where you can pick out a clay object, paint it, and then they fire it for you. They have everything from little figurines, to huge bowls, to tiles, to tooth brush holders. We managed to get two plates and one bowl done. Since that's not enough dishes for two people, we also took an extra dish set my parents still had from their wedding registry. Plain white plates and bowls.

Then, I saw this little number on Pinterest. Its instructions say to write on your plates with Sharpee and then let them bake in the oven. My fiance was skeptical. But I thought, "If so many people are pinning it, it must work!" So we decorated a handful of plates and stuck them in the oven. At first, it worked perfectly. I was so excited about our pretty looking plates that we had now. We ate off of them and sent them through the dishwasher. After a few goes through the dishwasher, we noticed the Sharpee was chipping. We're hoping that it wasn't harmful to eat off the plates, but  the plates definitely aren't pretty or exciting anymore. So when it comes to this popular pin, I'm gonna have to give it a thumbs down. It looked so easy and convenient, so I guess it was just a little too good to be true.

On a better note, a friend and I tried this Pinterest recipe for a healthy strawberry lemonade slurpee. It was great! AND super easy to make! So let me share this winning recipe with you;
You'll need 2 cups of lemonade (we got some lemonade concentrate and made a pitcher of lemonade that we could use. You could also use Crystal Lite lemonade, if you want to be even healthier)
1 - 1 1/2 cups ice
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
Put all these in a blender and then blend it up, and voila! Pour it out and add a little lemon to the rim to make it look pretty. One batch makes about four cups. They were so good, we made two batches. This is a pin I recommend.

Day Two

It is now Day Two of my new low-carb way of eating. While finding good, filling foods (and resisting the leftover pies) is pretty difficult, the way I felt this morning when I woke up made it all more than worth it. For the first time in I don't even know how long, it was easy to wake up on a weekday! The alarm went off, and I got straight up without even having to rub my eyes. This healthy way of eating isn't just some mumbo jumbo babble from my doctor and nutritionist. It actually makes me feel and look better. Yes, LOOK better. I have gotten so many compliments on how my skin looks brighter and smoother today, and my hair seems so much shinier. Maybe it's just my upbeat mood that's making others take notice to some changes, but either way I have nutrition to thank. While I'd like to say this is all because of my desire to take better care of my diabetes, it's actually due to higher price of insulin I'm now paying. The only way to pay less for insulin is to need less insulin. And there are two ways to need less insulin. 1. A diet with slim carbs. 2. A lifestyle full of exercise. In my busy life, option 1 seemed to be the best bet.

While I'm talking about nutritional ways to reduce the need for certain medications, I can also tell you about my new allergy "medication". I've had allergies for almost five years now, and they suck . . . the itchy eyes, the sneezing, the runny nose. It's all just gross and annoying. My sister has the same issues, even though she's about eleven years younger than me. So my sister's doctor (not wanting to prescribe harsh allergy medications to such a young girl) told my mom about how locally grown honey can help the body create an immunity to pollen and such. Kind of like how when you get the flu shot, they're actually injecting the flu into you. So I started having honey in my tea almost every day. I thought it might help a little bit. Maybe I wouldn't have to get prescription allergy meds anymore, I could just get the cheapest stuff off the shelf. But thank God I won't even have to buy that stuff anymore! Allergy season has started, and I have NO symptoms. Absolutely none. So I can cross one more medication off my long list!

I probably sound like an infomercial or a late night health program, but I am just so excited about how true this is all turning out to be. There ARE natural remedies to the things we just pop pills for. Not only does this make ME feel better, but it's also making my bank account feel a whole lot more satisfied.

Another Pain of Diabetes

While diabetes is alot about the physical limitations and struggles, it's easy for people to look past another major struggle for diabetics; Money. Today I went into my pharmacy to refill my prescription of insulin. Insulin is one of those prescriptions that are necessary for survival. In fact, insulin is necessary for ANYONE'S survival. The difference for us diabetics is that we have to pay for it. This morning, as my insulin pump was nearing empty, I searched for my last vial of insulin that was still half full. Unfortunately, I could not find it. It is very possible that my 7 month old puppy got a hold of it and then hid it around the house somewhere. We've found many lost items through this game that he likes to play. We've found socks behind furniture, garbage in his crate, even our underwear has been strewn about. So, I was forced to call in another month supply of insulin two weeks before it was necessary. When I went into the pharmacy to pick it up I found that the price had doubled. Now, just to stay alive, I have to pay $100 each month. After calling insurance and arguing with a machine for twenty minutes, I found out that my minimum went up and I now have to pay at least $100. If I could, I would say "FORGET IT!" and save my $100 a month for something I actually wanted to pay for. But the thing with diabetes is that you can't just say "FORGET IT!" We're all forced into the financial difficulties, simply because we want to stay healthy. So while I can't say forget it to my insulin, I'm going to have to say forget it to some other things in order to put this money aside each month.

And Above All...

Remember to love

The Important Things in Life

It seems like lately I've been noticing that all the people around me are getting confused. I understand how it's easy to become blinded by things in life. Money is tight, and things are getting difficult for the majority of people. I understand this first hand, given that my family has always struggled and now I really see it while I'm trying to scrape money together to get an apartment. As if it's not hard enough to pull money together, jobs are being threatened or just impossible to come by. Just the other day, my boss told me she's considering other options for the girls that I watch every day. A job that seemed so sure to me is now rocky and unsure. Add that to my list of money concerns, life. I understand the struggle and the desire and how it becomes so desperate that any job seems promising. I also understand that I am in high school, and to some people, fitting in is the most important thing. Maybe it is important to feel accepted. Actually, it's very important to feel accepted. Psychologically, feeling accepted and loved and included can make the biggest differences for all aspects of a person's health. Everyone has these needs. The need for survival, the need for acceptance. They are our instincts. And without even realizing it, we all go after those instincts. But here's where it becomes not okay; when the things that make you who YOU are are being thrown under a bus. Since when did it become necessary to lie in order to obtain your needs? Especially about the little things that no one gives a rat's ass about. Who cares if you actually did nothing this weekend, and that story about how many friends you hung out with isn't actually real? Who cares if you're still a virgin or if you've never done drugs? And you know what's especially important is who cares if that OTHER girl actually did do something embarrassing at a party? All these things are minuscule. Obsolete. Yet almost everyone I know feels the need to do it. Lying has become a part of everyday life, in almost every where. From lying about why you "can't" go out to coffee with someone, to lying about why you went home to your wife at 3 am. This is why our society as a whole is losing it's identity. I'd like you to find a teenager, or even a middle aged person, who isn't confused in some way about who they are or what they believe. How can they be sure when they lie about what they had for breakfast? It's pretty easy to be confused about yourself when you're not able to own up about it to anyone. And this inability to own up to things has become such an issue that it's hardly even seen as an issue. Why do you think people have affairs so much or cheat? All it takes is a few lies and you're in the clear for the time being, until you get caught. This is why so many marriages end with infidelity. Lying has become second nature. Some people even view it as a necessity. Well, it's pretty easy to see lying as a good thing until you're on the receiving end of it. The true heroes in our society and the ones to look up to don't have to be saving people out of wells or fires. No, the people with real courage are the ones that are true to themselves and true to everyone around them. The ones who don't lie and cover up. Whether it's lying about where you are, who you are, or even something as simple as your natural hair color, it's makes you a little less of yourself and a little more of something else.

Diapainting

I have a new hobby...I've been painting and drawing lately! And I love it! I'm so glad I have a hobby that I finally feel I'm good at. I've painted two pictures so far, but I've got people lined up that want the next ones I do! The next one I do will probably be the most difficult...my mama requested an ocean painting. Wish me luck!(:

Diaseason

This is my FAVORITE season of the year. It's the season of GIVING and FAMILY and being TOGETHER!(: It just gives me so much joy. And all the decorating is so much fun! I can't even explain how much my heart swells at this time of year! We got our Christmas tree this weekend(: It took a while to pick it out, because I wanted the absolute perfect one. And then we decorated it, of course. The girls could only decorate what they could reach, so there was one strip on the tree that was loaded with ornaments! And let's not forget that my Nanna and Poppy are visiting this week(: They're from Connecticut. I love having them here. I miss everyone on the east coast so much... My mama and Nanna and I went black Friday shopping(: It is so worth getting up at 5:30 to get those deals. Seriously. I got 3 people's Christmas gifts for $26! I'm so excited that this year I get to buy everyone's presents, since I have a job. I'm a nanny for a little girl(: She's so sweet!

I know this is a stream of consciousness kind of post...but I'm a little giddy today. Hopefully I still am after my Nanna and Poppy leave! I just need to start doing more family oriented things maybe. I forgot how important family is to me.

Oh, and by the way, I tried eggnog. It's VERY sweet. But I can drink it in small portions(: Ohmygoodness, I haven't even mentioned Thanksgiving...This was my first Thanksgiving as a diagnosed diabetic. I was so afraid of high blood sugar that I actually gave too much insulin and went low three or four times...but it was still tasty. We already finished off the leftover turkey, and tonight we're having turkey soup as the final goodbye to our turkey!(:

Dialife....

Life is the only word I can think of to describe why I haven't written in so long! I've always been a bit of a closed off person... so lately, a lot of personal problems have been happening, mainly with my family. I haven't known what I want to share and what I want to keep quiet, so I just haven't said anything. But I found the urge to blog again today.

I guess I'll just skip over the diabetes walk, Homecoming, Halloween, and any other big events that went on.

What I did today was decorate Trevor's room to ask him to Snoball(: I got glow in the dark stars, streamers, balloons, and silly string! The silly string was mainly to get back at Trevor, because he silly stringed my car for homecoming. Well, he was supposed to be gone all day today airsofting...buuuuut it turned out after wrestling that he had to come by to get his gun. Luckily, all I had left to do was the silly string....so instead of ruining his room like I had hoped to, I just ruined him and his sweatshirt(: He saw his room a little early, but at least I got my answer early, right?

Tomorrow he's coming over to meet my Poppy(: Poppy and Nanna are visiting from Connecticut! Ahhh... I miss the east coast so much.

By the way, Trevor said yes to Snoball(:

Diapoetry

The Glories of Our Blood and State

By James Shirley

The glories of our blood and state

Are shadows, not substantial things;

There is no armor against fate;

Death lays his icy hand on kings.

Scepter and crown

Must tumble down

And in the dust be equal made

With the poor crooked scythe and spade.

Some men with swords may reap the field

And plant fresh laurels where they kill,

But their strong nerves at last must yield;

They tame but one another still.

Early or late

They stoop to fate

And must give up their murmuring breath,

When they, pale captives, creep to death.

The garlands wither on your brow,

Then boast no more your mighty deeds;

Upon death's purple alter now

See where the victor-victim bleeds.

Your heads must come

To the cold tomb;

Only the actions of the just

Smell sweet and blossom in their dust.

Diatattoo

And by the way, on a different note, I want to get a tattoo. My parents are saying no, until I'm eighteen . . . so I've got alot of time to think about it. But this is what I'm thinking...

What I love most about it is the symbolism of it. I want to get it on my right shoulder, so it will face the other way. And it won't be very big. But after a year or so of consideration, I think this is the best option for me(:

Dialove

Just a reminder that it's not about us, it's about Him . . . This song was written by someone when he was very mad at God and didn't understand His purpose for everything. So he wrote the song to remind himself that it's not about his feelings, it's about God and what God did for us. So as you go through your Monday complaining about being tired or traffic, keep this song in mind.

How He Loves Us

He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden,

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,

And I realise just how beautiful You are,

And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,

Oh how He loves us,

How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,

If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.

So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,

I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,

When I think about, the way…

He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves.

Well, I thought about You the day Stephen died,

And You met me between my breaking.

I know that I still love You, God, despite the agony.

...They want to tell me You're cruel,

But if Stephen could sing, he'd say it's not true, cause...

Cause He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us.

Whoa! how He loves us.

Whoa! how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves us,

Whoa! how He loves.

Dialife

My life has been extremely hectic lately . . . which is why I haven't been posting on my blog. I've had to prioritize a lot of things, and blogging just hasn't been top on the list...

For those of you that know and love the Lord, me and my family could really use your prayer. Things are getting really difficult.

I need to get a job, FAST. I need to start pitching in to pay for things. I'm more than willing to help, but getting a job in this economy is harder than it sounds . . . Until I get a job, God provides, right? This - of all the times in my life, including when I got diabetes - is the week that I should be or so easily could be angry at God and telling you all that He does not provide. But instead, He's been reminding me every day that a little bit of faith goes a very long way. So remember that if you have a bad day this week, or you're stressed, or you feel like giving up.

A little bit of faith goes a long way.

Sorry this post is so vague . . . it's the best I can do right now.

Diastudent

Wow...what a week. I'm back at school. Believe me, it has not been an easy week. Almost all my classes this year will be challenging. And not only that, but I haven't adjusted to the organization school requires yet. My mind feels scattered all the time! I'm still getting my homework done, and I haven't lost any important handouts or anything. But my head just feels so jumbled! Which, in return, is of course stressing me out. I've given myself enough breaks from school that I'm not quite exploding with stress yet...but with 8 periods and homework in every single one over the weekend, you can imagine how overwhelmed I am! I'm going to need to take a bunch of notes in all my classes, or else I don't think I'll remember any of the information. I already had to take a college level placement test in math, because he wanted us to refresh our brains and what not. I was so mad about it because my head hurt so much after taking it! But it turns out...I would have gotten into a college level class, according to my score. So maybe I shouldn't be totally mad about it. This should be an interesting year, because it already feels completely different from any year I've had before. Maybe this is what it means to be an upperclassman.

Diacalifornia

The reason I haven't been posting is because I've been on vacation! In the amazing LA. I have never seen anything like this city, let me tell you... Well, I'd like to tell you, but instead I'll just post some pictures(:

The trip was SO fun(: It was my first time in Disneyland...actually, pretty much my first time in California. I'm so happy I got to go, and I can't wait to go back(:

Diabetes, the walk for the cure

I joined the walk for the cure of diabetes today! I have my own team and everything, that my friends and family will be a part of. I'm working to raise money, which will go toward research for the cure of diabetes. So if you're interested in donating, or if you want to join my team and walk with me, click here !(: thanks!

Diajob Searcher

I have now discovered how hard it is to find a job! Especially in Oregon, where the unemployment rate is sky high! How am I supposed to pay for gas now?? Luckily I've been applying to a lot of places, and one of them looks promising. I've applied to Borders, Macy's, Bud to Blossom, and the Learning Tree. Bud to Blossom is the job I'm really wanting and the one that looks the most promising! It's a preschool that's very close to my school. They said that when I start I would just have the position they call "Closing Position" which means I would clean up at the end of the day and get everything set up for the next day. But eventually I would move up. And a job is a job, I'd love to work there! It would be especially helpful since I want to become a teacher someday. So if you're looking for a prayer request, you could help me out by praying I get a job(:

Diaboyfriend

Okay, it's official...I have a boyfriend!(: If you want to look at it technically, though, our first date was over a year ago. We broke up back in May because neither of us were in the right place to be in a relationship and I knew both of us had to get right with God. So I left the relationship thinking we would never even be able to be friends again. Then we didn't talk for about two months, but near the middle of July he started contacting me again. He told me that he thought we could try to be friends. And after everything we'd been through, I figured I could give it a shot. After a week or so of convincing, he finally got me to hang out with him. I could instantly see that alot had changed in him since the last time I saw him...The biggest change, of course, being that he's a lot closer to God. Which led to all the little changes. Like how patient he is now, and how level-headed, and how much more fun we're able to have together now. So, after about a week and a half of praying about it and struggling with it, I told him that I thought it could work out this time. Then it was his turn to pray about it and think about..and now, here we are! If anything starts to go wrong again, of course I won't hesitate to get out of the relationship. God comes first, ALWAYS. But I really believe it'll be a better relationship this time.

This is a picture from back in November. So yeah, a long time ago haha. But we don't really take that many pictures...but if we do anytime soon, I'll definitely post them on here. And by the way, I'd like to point out how long and dark my hair was then! That's so weird!

Diadriver!

I got my license...

yeah, enough said(:

Diaregistered

I am officially registered this year for school...that's a good thing, right? Melissa and I were very excited to open our locker and measure it and everything! Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to decorate it :P Everyone wanted to leave, so we had to stay with the crowd. But I got everything sized to fit! So once I get my license (cough, tomorrow) maybe I can just drive down there and set it up. My school picture didn't turn out tooo bad...but I did have a fly way hair. Too bad I can't scan it onto the computer to show you, but oh well. Just imagine my face with a grey background. Then, today, I got some lovely blood work done. GROSS! I hate having needles put into my veins. It's okay for insulin, because that doesn't go into my veins. It goes into fatty tissue areas. And now with a pump, I barely even put the needle in myself. The inserter does that job for me. But anywho, it was only two viles that they had to fill for my blood work so I guess it wasn't disastrous. The lady doing it kept trying to set me up with her son. "You're so cute! And you're a junior? Well, my son's a junior and he's pretty cute, too...he can't drive yet, but if you can drive soon then it'd be perfect! He could pay for everything and you'd drive..." etc. etc. etc. She really wanted me to date her son! Haha! She even started talking to my mom about it. But don't worry, I didn't give her any personal information besides what she had in my file so I don't think I'll be getting calls from her son(:

Diahappy

You may be wondering what I'm happy with...and it's my hair!! It's finally not damaged! So now I can straighten it and it doesn't look frizzy; it looks good. I haven't been able to straighten my hair since the end of January, so I'm very excited about this. Now I'm not stuck with just curly hair, I can just jump back and forth.

This is how my hair looked. I took pictures with my Peanut yesterday because I realized I haven't done that yet. I've had him for four months, how could I have not taken pictures with him??(: I also made Peanut sleep in my room last night because I'm still a little scared, ever since I saw Paranormal Activity...sad, huh? Even when I wasn't sleeping in my room on Sunday night, I didn't sleep well. But that's because I was camping overnight in a one person tent with two other people. It was fun, even though we didn't camp for a long time. I went with my friend Jessica, who I haven't seen all summer!

We hung out in the tent a lot of the time past 9 pm, because it got cold outside. Before that we were walking around with the dog. It was fun to just catch up and such. Well, I've got to run! That was just my little catch up time(: Now I've got to get ready for today's school registration. I refuse to believe the summer is coming to an end though!