All Day Tea

This recipe is intended to allow individual choice of flavor. If you don't see a drink mix flavor that you prefer feel free to add your own, or leave it as just tea, with or without sweetener. And aside from the artificial flavorings from drink mixes, it is entirely herbal. No caffeine, no calories.

May be served cold or warmed.  To avoid damaging the flavoring, avoid overheating.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag Bigelow Lemon Ginger herbal tea
• 1 bag Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime herbal tea
• Water, 59 fluid ounce (add more if desired)
• Great Value - Liquid No Calorie Stevia

Your choice of the following to taste;

• Crystal Light Strawberry Pineapple Refresh liquid
• MiO Orange Vanilla liquid
• Great Value Tropical - Peach Mango Passion Fruit
• Tang - Sugar Free Squirts
• Crystal Light - Blueberry Raspberry liquid
• other (personal favorites)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Steep both tea bags in 8 to 16 oz. of boiling water, for at least 10 minutes.  I usually let it steep until the water is cooled.
2. In a large container (at least 59 oz.) combine the remaining water and your choice of sweetener and drink mix(s).  Availability in your area may vary.
3. When the tea is done steeping, add it to the container of water and flavoring.  Top off as needed.

I use some version of this mixture every day.  The recipe is set at the listed volume only because of the bottle I use.  Although it may require the addition of more flavoring, it is perfectly acceptable to bump the fluid level to 64 oz., to allow it to be a complete compliment of 8 - 8 oz. cups of water per day.
I actually go with about 12 cups myself, due to my own personal health concerns.  And yes, that does mean that I add other beverages, above and beyond this.
I'd like to note that, although I do not have any documentation to support it, I have been given to understand that ginger and a sufficiency of fluid intake can aid in weight loss.  My results are slight, and I am monitoring my food intake as well, but I can say that the combination seems to be having a reductive affect on my weight.
My general opinion is that it can't hurt.
It is not without merit that I feel better when I drink enough each day.  It seems to even reduce the frequency of my migraines, which seem to be able to be triggered by nothing more than dehydration.
Please feel free to test it and draw your own conclusions.

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FLAME Inbound!

I don't know how I came by it, but I now have a Google news feed. It pokes at me several times a day, with news, gossip and so forth. I generally avoid the things that look like gossip. I just don't have the stomach for the stuff.

Today I decided to look at something, that could have been gossip, but wound up to be news. And not just news, but something I actually am rather passionate about!

Here's the link, so everyone can be on the same page with me;
Mila Kunis Expresses Her Objection to Pence's Policies in a Unique Way

[FLAME]
All I can think to say, at this time, is;  The Religious Right needs to get its collective Cranium out of its Rectum and stop trying to squash Women's Rights, as it relates to our own bodies and biological choices.
Just wait and see how they feel, when it's one of their daughters that needs the abortion!!!
Especially when *feigning shock* it's by some mixed-race "mongrel", that they wouldn't "let" her date in the first place.
[/FLAME]

My apologies to anyone who might have taken offense at the terms mixed-race or mongrel. That was not intended to offend anyone who might theoretically fit in those categories, per the religious right definition.
It makes me so very angry when these people presume that they can dictate to others. The flame was intended to illustrate my intense objections. The last thing I wish to do is offend anyone that might actually agree with me.
And for the record, I am a Liberal Democrat through and through!
Also, in case there's any clarification required, I fully support Mila Kunis, at least on this subject. I think it was a stroke of Brilliance, too send donations to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name.

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OMG! How is there any such thing as a non-person...

To my knowledge, the young woman in question here has committed no crime.

Everyone should see this story:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/11/03/justice_department_declares_war_on_aclu_attorneys_who_oppose_trump.html

Please read it for yourself. I only wish I knew how to make a difference here. My outrage knows no bounds, as it regards this sort of thing. Just another case of the "Religious Right" sticking its nose in someone else's personal business.

When REAL Life Gets In The Way

I probably have not already mentioned that I have a cat. She is not only my fur baby, but my anchor to the living world. She is also the sweetest most loving creature you could ever possibly hope to meet.

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Salome, on her favorite shop-rag bed.

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So, it should come as no shock when I say that I nearly fell apart when I found out she was not feeling well.

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To make a long story short, and to spare you all the medical details, she tolerated the trip to the vet quite well. Better even than I expected. The vet was very compassionate, even with regards to my extremely meager finances, and kept cost to about $60. Not really money I had to spend, but for my baby girl, if I have it, I will give it to save her.

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Now that we are home, she seems entirely unaffected. She's not even showing symptoms anymore. And unless she does, I'm not going to use the pain medication given to me by the vet. Why risk it?

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As for me; my nerves still feel extremely frayed (even raw). I'm still having difficulty doing even simple things (like getting my food). Even though I'm pretty sure she's fine now, I still feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Not to mention, I'm still concerned there may be additional expenses to come.

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In the event that anyone would like to help, I'm including a link below. Every little bit helps. And anything would be appreciated. But for the record, if you are in a similar financial situation to myself, I would prefer not to further burden you.

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Help LilMischif

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It did occur to me, looking at the picture I posted of my baby girl, that I could actually offer a very small tip with this is story.

That sleeping box, she's sitting in, is extremely inexpensive to prepare. All you really need is a box, of a good size for your cat, and $5 or maybe as much as $15 worth of synthetic chenille type shop rags (I found them at Walmart, in the automotive section). I would recommend washing them, before you throw them into the box, for your cat to enjoy. They are also very easily washable. Do be sure to dry them with a softener sheet. Otherwise the static would become quite unmanageable. It might even prove painful for your beloved pet.

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My cat adores the shop rags. It gives her plenty of opportunity to dig and move the material around, for her comfort and even entertainment. And these rags are extremely cheap (about $5 for 10 conveniently sized rags). So if your cat gets fierce with them, even destroys them, they are inexpensive to replace. They're so cheap, you might even want to grab an extra package, to keep for use around the house.

A Tip for Making Calorie Reduction Easier

I recently had a doctor's appointment. My doctor told me that I need to cut back by over a hundred calories. So I made some small adjustments to all of my meals. Breakfast is usually my largest actual meal of my day. If you can see the picture below, you can see that it's bacon and eggs.
I used to have two strips of extra thick bacon and one egg. And I beat the egg into the bacon fat, in the pan. I believe I posted the very simple recipe some while ago.
The change I made to my breakfast is removing one slice of the bacon and replacing some of the fat with coconut oil and reserved bacon fat.  I used to just cut the bacon slice in half, which makes it fit better in my pan better.

By the way, I can honestly recommend the Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (I get mine from Sam's Club) over the Refined. It's your choice to use Organic or not. Mine is, though I don't have much of an option. I just find that the Extra Virgin adds a nice coconut flavor, without the texture of the "meat", that I personally can't deal with.
The trick I came up with is really quite simple. As soon as I take the bacon strips out of the pan, I cut each half into 4 more pieces (that's 8 total). Then I carefully arrange them back as they would have been if they were not cut. See the picture below for clarification.

 

I know it seems unbelievably simple, but there is some science behind it. The appearance of the larger strips, on the plate, lets your brain know there's more than just a little bit there. But when you go to eat, the little pieces make it more difficult for you to just scarfed down a whole piece of bacon, or even half of one, all at once. And if you cut similar-sized pieces from the egg, it gives you the impression that you're actually eating more food than you are. And it is super critical to take your time and enjoy your food. Obviously this doesn't just work for bacon and eggs. It can be adapted for just about any meal you might possibly want to prepare.

But don't just take my word for it. Give it a try yourself. I know it works for me. And I hope it does as much for you.
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A Cure for the Common Blah

As I have been on one low-carb diet or another for an extremely long time, I have found it necessary to find alternative ways to add flavor (especially the fruity kind) to my life.  One of the most efficient ways I found, so far, is direct application by squeeze bottle drink mixes.
They are not only great, as advertised, in water. They can work well in cooking and other applications. Some flavors work better than others when heat is applied. One thing I have found quite difficult, is finding flavors that will work with cream (as cream has a strong tendency to curdle with anything containing citric acid). 
I'm including a photo of a bunch of the flavors that I use and therefore recommend more highly than others you may find. Of course, your local store may have flavors I've never seen here in the Midwest.

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Oops! I noticed that the picture I took doesn't really portray the flavors very well so here's a list of the ones in the photo:

• Crystal Light Flavors;  Blackberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade, tropical coconut, mandarin orange (iced tea), strawberry pineapple refresh (caffeinated).
• Dasani Drops Flavors;  tropical coconut, pear acai, pink lemonade. Not included, due to being out; mixed berry.
• Generic Flavors;  peach mango passion fruit, pineapple coconut lime, raspberry black tea. Absent in photo;  orange blast.
• Mio Flavors;  sweet tea, acai berry storm (caffeinated), orange vanilla. Some of the generic flavors are also Mio in origin.
• And then, to round out the photo grouping, there's Tang.

For clarification, because it doesn't actually show in the photo, all of these flavors are sugar-free. A few do have a small carb footprint, but not so much that you need to avoid them entirely. Just be sure to read the labels prior to purchase.

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Some folks may have noticed that I posted, quite a while ago, regarding an unusual observation. For your convenience, I will recap it here. My earlier observation was that any drink mixes, containing propylene glycol, are no longer palatable since I've been on keto. And I began noticing this after maybe a few weeks. They may still be viable flavor options if you're only on the Atkins diet. I however have no intention of returning to using them. After all, propylene glycol is a purely synthetic sweetener.

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Because I know almost nobody, who just starts reading my blog, is going to read back just for S&G, I think it's probably prudent to go ahead and repeat myself here. None of my recommendations are paid for. Nor do I publicly endorse any particular company or product, for a fee. The only income I may possibly achieve, from these recommendations, is that which you give freely in appreciation.

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Keto - Friendly Breakfast Coffee

Okay disclaimer first. Anyone who objects to the use of coffee crystals, please turn away now. I will have something probably unrelated at a later time and date.
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Ingredients:

• 2 T Folgers regular coffee crystals
• 2 T heavy cream
• 1 T Hershey's cocoa powder (unsweetened)
•    stevia liquid
•    Splenda liquid
•    boiling water

Instructions:

1. Put coffee crystals and cocoa powder in a 16oz cup.
2. Pour about a half a cup of boiling water over that mixture.
3. Quickly whisk to combine and remove any lumps from the cocoa.
4. Add a small amount of cold water, to reduce the temperature of the liquid.
5. Add Stevia to taste and then a small hit of Splenda to balance and enhance the sweetness.
6. Add the cream.
7. Now all that's left to do is add boiling and coldtap water to fill the cup at your preferred temperature.

Notes:
The listed ingredients above are, obviously, my preferences, and personal recommendations. If you have different preferences, please feel free to use them instead. Just be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder.
I claim no credentials as a doctor or any other form of health professional. However, I think most people are aware by now of chocolate's mood enhancing qualities. So, hopefully, this cup of coffee will improve your day

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Keto - Friendly Bacon and Eggs

 Ingredients:

• 2 think cut bacon slices 
• 1 large egg 
• 2 T bacon fat 

Instructions:

1. Begin cooking the bacon
2. This recipe assumes two tablespoons of oil total, although it can be stretched to three. Adjust the drippings quantity as best you can and add your preferred oil to make up the difference to equal 2 tablespoons (bacon fat, butter, coconut oil &/or other), calories will vary slightly.
3. When done, remove the bacon to your serving plate and reserve the remaining oil in the pan
4. Allow the reserved oils to cool somewhat in the pan, to prevent excessively rapid cooking of the egg
5. When the oil is cool enough, crack the cold egg into the pan and whip with fork or whisk to emulsify most of the oils into the egg. Avoid adding salt. The bacon has plenty.
6. Cook as desired. I usually do mine omelette Style.
7. Serve on the plate with the bacon, pouring any remaining oils over the bacon to warm it.

Notes:

Yes, this is a fairly simple recipe. It's mostly just a twist on a basic breakfast favorite. And tweaked a bit for the ketogenic diet. Of course, you can adjust the quantities to suit your own dietary needs.
I enjoy adding a little extra virgin coconut oil, for flavor. I use the one you can get at Sam's Club.
As far as what bacon to choose; I personally prefer Wright Applewood Bacon.
Once again, I recommend MyFitnessPal (MFP) to help you balance your quantities (carbohydrates/protein/fat) and track your intake.
Be advised, extra virgin coconut oil will make the oil foam just a bit. On the other hand, butter will cause the oil, and therefore the egg, to go a little brown. Those are the only ones I've tested. Obviously, results will vary depending on what other oils you may use. Don't be afraid to experiment. That's part of the fun of cooking.

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UPDATE: 6 Months Using Fitbit Connected to MyFitnessPal

Okay, so it might actually be a little bit more than 6 months. I was looking at my previous posts yesterday and realized it was past time to do this.

For the record (and reference), I have a Charge HR. I'm given to understand it is an older model. It was bought for me, secondhand, on the internet. And while it does have some battery memory, it is still functioning pretty well.
Also, for the record, I have been using MyFitnessPall (MFP) for over a year now.

Anyway, I have some pros and cons. I'll start with the cons. Always "bad news" first:

• I do have delicate skin, so please keep that in mind when I tell you, while exercising, the silicone rubber band makes me sweat quite a lot underneath it.
• Occasionally, it needs a bit of a tweak to get it to share information properly with MFP. The apps, on my tablet, do seem to help.
• There are times when it does not properly register steps. For instance;  while going up and down stairs using the railing, and presumably while using any support (cane, staff, walker, etc.). It will also register "steps" while riding in a vehicle. It does however only take a percentage of the full mileage for the trip. I suppose it mostly balances out, since it is more active than sitting still.

And now for the pros:

• When set and connected properly, it seamlessly adds exercise to MFP. And, by association, calories burned. That is a big one. Don't let anybody tell you different. Pretty much everybody is at least a little lazy. Especially those of us who need help with exercise. It's just simple biological conservation of energy.
• It is even capable of identifying some specific exercise activities on its own, besides just steps, and registering them accordingly.
• The cons are fairly easy to work around, so don't sweat. No pun intended.

Overall, I can reasonably and honestly say that I'm pleased to be using one. It makes my exercise/diet experience simpler.

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Why Use Soap When There's Baking Soda

On account of my lack of posting for the last little while, this will be kind of a make-up. Multiple recommendations and suggestions.
So, if you've seen my labels, you already know I'm a fan of baking soda.

The other day, I decided to try something I hadn't tried before. So I don't actually wash my hair all that often. That particular day, my hair was showing the lack of washing. Normally, a brush out or even a wet brush out will do quite nicely. So for some reason, on that day I decided to do something a little more aggressive.

By good fortune, at this point, I already had a squeeze bottle meant for dying hair (almost any squeeze bottle type applicator will do here so long as it's clean). So I put in about a tablespoon, maybe a little more or less, of baking soda. Then I filled the 500ml bottle the rest of the way with somewhat hot tap water. It's pertinent to mention that, when mixed, the solution was clear.

So I got all prepared, got in the shower, and hung my hair over so I wouldn't be pouring the solution down my back and everything. Then, using the squeeze bottle, I started applying the solution more or less directly to my scalp. I massaged some, as I went. I suppose I should note that I have very long thick hair. So it took the whole bottle. Once I had emptied the bottle, I went ahead and did some further massaging to get any missed areas and to include my scalp in the treatment.

When the "water" started to run out of my hair, as I squeezed, I was a bit surprised. As previously mentioned, it was clear going in, but coming out it was quite thoroughly tinted white with oil and dead skin. And it continue to be so as I rinsed. And later, after I was done with the rest of my shower, I noticed it didn't feel much different than if I had used soap. Furthermore, my scalp was squeaky clean.

All said and done, I actually had to go ahead and use some Palmer's Olive Oil Formula {PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION} to return some of the manageability. I don't know how it will affect you but my hair gets awfully fluffy when it's that clean. And, by the way I personally prefer the Palmer's Olive Oil Formula - Gro Therapy, mostly because it smells nice. And no, they're not paying me to say that. Do be sure to follow the package directions. Doesn't take much.

During that same shower, I used straight baking soda, sprinkled on an ordinary dampened washcloth, to wash my skin. It should be mentioned here that it is wiser to do this in the shower, than in the bath. And avoid applying the baking soda directly to your delicate bits. There is a great potential to change the pH there (that includes men and women) and cause unpleasant side effects. It is absolutely fine for any external skin though. Just be sure to rinse thoroughly. You don't even need more than tepid water.

So there you go. Three tips, instead of just one. I sincerely hope you find them useful.
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Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

Okay, so maybe most everybody already knows this. But just in case, here goes.

1. Put about a tablespoon or so of baking soda in the bottom of a large saucepan. 
2. Add up to a dozen eggs, depending on the size of your pan and need (only one layer of eggs for proper cooking). 
3. Fill the pan at least half full of cold water. Be sure to cover the eggs by at least an inch.
4. Light the burner under the pan and set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes. Electric burners work differently, and I don't use one. So I'm not sure how to set for that.
5. As soon as the water comes to a full rolling boil, turn off the fire. Presumably, remove the pan entirely from an electric burner.
6. When the timer runs out, immediately pour out as much of the hot water as possible, while running cold tap water into the pan. When the water no longer feels warm, fill the pan completely with cold tap water and leave it in the sink, to cool the eggs.
7. In about 20 to 30 minutes, you can remove the cooled eggs from the water, dry and refrigerate.

* Due to some chemical reactions from the baking soda, using this method to cook your eggs will dramatically reduce the chances of getting the sulfur green ring around the yoke. It also seems to make it easier to remove the shells.

If you appreciate the information I'm providing, please feel free to use the following link:  Thank LilMischif

Introducing My Own Personal New Direction

Okay, I'm going to be trying something new. I don't know how often I will be able to post, though I'll be aiming for up to daily.
Anyway, the plan is to post tips, tricks, product recommendations and recipes, for general use and enjoyment.
In future, the following link will be available, on each post, to show your appreciation for my efforts:

Thank LilMischif

I will also be taking down my GoFundMe. It seems that wasn't going to work for me.

In Need of Help.

I know I don't post very often. I'm hoping, just maybe, there might occasionally be people who are willing to help out. Therefore I will post my new GoFundMe here.
Please bear with me. This is my first attempt at this type of thing. But I really do need the help.

Please Help to Save My Life

I'm open to suggestions, on almost anything.
And rest assured. I will add a proper photo as soon as I can get one prepared.

"The Depths of My Dismay Cannot Be Measured!"

Being entirely incapable of failing to believing this woman's story, I find myself once again astonished at the depth to which "the donald" (to use one of his more polite monikers) can sink.
"I was a Muslim in Trump's White House"

My head positively explodes with things that I would like to say regarding this article. Sadly I have great difficulty concisely arranging and writing about those thoughts.

All I can think the post on the matter is semi biographical data on myself. I will allow anyone who reads this to compare the two and then take an educated guess as to how it makes me feel and what it makes me think about.

• I am a devoted anti-trump Democrat (in no way paid for my opinion or statements) with better than a high school education. 
• I once considered myself a true altruist. Now I realize we all have our issues, myself included. Still I try to maintain room for altruism. And I help others wherever I find opportunity.
• Throughout my youth my parents instilled in me (by their actions, not by words) the belief that Prejudice is inherently wrong. And it is therefore not a part of my belief structure or my ethics. I refuse to treat people other than how they show themselves to deserve. And furthermore, this is an individual assessment.
• As I tell my friends; I have a brain and I'm not afraid to use it. In fact, it disturbs me greatly how many people I see who fail to use theirs.
• Everyone should do everything possible to prevent themselves from being ruled by fear, rumor (hearsay) and hatred. For Heaven's Sake, please people, think for yourselves and opinions accordingly.

# anti-trump
# tolerance
# equality

New Fitbit

Late yesterday, I just managed to acquire a used Fitbit. It is a Charge HR. That appears to be one of the earlier models. But I don't care it's something I can use to track things I couldn't previously.

I've been using MyFitnessPal for quite some time now. It has been helping me keep track of my food, exercise and water intake. I am using the free version, which does present some limitations, but it still works most of the time.

Obviously, the jury is still out on my opinion of the Fitbit. But I look forward to finding out how well it will do for me.

More than anything, this post is to mark the occasion.

My extremely random life

Having pretty much come to the conclusion that livejournal is actually pretty much dead now, I have just now decided to try this blog engine instead.

At this point, I have no idea if this will be the first of many, or simply an occasional thing. Anyone reading this should simply be aware that my life is indeed quite random. I tend to post random things. No logic in particular, just things. If you're down with that, please feel free to follow.

There may occasionally be product or other types of review. Just for instance. And from time to time I may just post something because I think it's cool or because it makes me happy.