Pictures...pictures...pictures
Since i was off and had a chance to hang out at Karen and Joe's casa ...I decided to make use of a good internet connection!!!! So here's a few pictures...I put more in the future if the internet gods allow it!!

This was back in March when Greg and I went down to hang out on the other coast. This is my Mom (Anne on the right) and her sister Pat. It's easy to tell that their related. Went out for for some delicious ice cream...

This is my hubby Greg chowin' down on some ice cream....

From left to right: Aunt Pat, my Dad (Paul), and Uncle Tony. This was out at dinner before we left that week. It was Greg's Dad's (also by the name of Paul) Birthday too.

Right to Left: Me (Laura but you alreay know that) , my sister Sarah, my Bro-in-law Laszlo. Same night out as the picture above...fun was had by all... This is the night that we were introduced to the pizzookie(a delicious pizza cookie) I just like to say the word.

Same night as the above picture: Greg and his dad(Paul) You can see the resemblence there too!

Goodbye and good luck! A farwell to Martin, he was the former pastry chef at the resort I work at.We got together at a local pub to have drinks. Left to right: Me, Martin, and Michelle. Michelle is part of our pastry staff but we will soon be saying goodbye to her soon. She's a chemical engineer and has found her first job in her field.

The newest picture taken today but bye time you see this it will be yesterday. Karen and Joe's vegetable garden. It grown alot since the last time I was over there. Now youcan see tiny squash, tomato's and beans. their very excited and can't wait to show it to every one!!!

Well that's all the pictures that we have time for today!!! i hoped you enjoyed them....

GRADUATION COUNT DOWN: T minus 4 days!!!!!!

On another note: Tonight at karen and joe's we had jalepeno and cheddar bambie (venison) sausages) they were delicious!

8 DAYS TILL GRADULATION!!!!!

Happy birthday..one more time!!!!

Finally I got to take Greg out for his B-day celebration. It was delayed by my lack of days off from work. So we meet up with Karen and Joe and went to our local wing joint for some dinner. So there were wings galore, beer, and all the wet naps we needed. Laughter a plenty...but that's normal. After dinner the boys played a boxing game the rated your punch. Greg got the score 800 something which classified him as superman, and Joe scored 700 something which titled him killer. That thought it was pretty fun and Karen and I laughted some more!!!!

I have all kinds of pictues I'd like to share but I can't get them to load with my slow connection...bummer..


FANTASTIC FIBER: Part II
7 HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER

1. Fiber curbs overeating. Fibers are filling without fattening. High fiber foods require more chewing, and the prolonged chewing, besides pre-digesting the food, satisfies the appetite so you eat less. Fiber stays in the stomach longer, absorbs water, swells, and helps the eater feel full. Because of this feeling of fullness, people on high fiber diets tend to eat more slowly and eat less, especially less fat. Best fibers for weight control are bran and the pectin from fruits.

2. Fiber steadies your blood-sugar level. Fiber, especially the soluble type, found in psyllium, bran, and legumes slows the absorption of sugar from the intestines. This steadies the blood sugar level and lessens the ups and downs of insulin secretion. Keeping insulin levels low and stable also helps the body store less fat, another perk for people trying to control their weight.

4. Fiber reduces cholesterol. A diet high in soluble fiber, such as that found in oat bran, whole oats, psyllium, legumes, barley, fruit, and prunes, lowers blood levels of the harmful type of cholesterol (LDL) without lowering the good cholesterol (HDL) levels. As it travels down the intestines, soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gluey gel which picks up cholesterol and carries it out of the body. Yet, doctors caution, adding more soluble fibers to your diet is not a license to eat high cholesterol foods. High fiber diets are usually low in fat, too, and the cholesterol-lowering effects may be related to less fat in the diet as well as to fiber. Recent studies showed that eating an extra ten grams of fiber daily (the average American adult eats only eleven grams of fiber a day), decreased the risk of dying from heart disease by 17-29 percent.

5. Fiber promotes regularity. Insoluble fibers, mainly the cellulose in skins of fruits and vegetables and the husks of grains help prevent constipation; their sponge effect absorbs a lot of water into the stools, making them soft and bulky. This type of stool stimulates the intestines to contract in an undulating way, called peristalsis, which sweeps stools along -- the broom effect of fiber. In cultures that typically eat higher fiber diets, people tend to produce stools that are softer, larger, and more frequent, unlike the smaller, harder, and less frequent stools associated with the typical Western diet.

6. Fiber reduces cancer risk. While soluble fiber helps protect against cardiovascular diseases, insoluble fiber protects against colon cancer. The incidence of colon cancer is significantly lower in cultures where people eat lots of high-fiber food. Increasing your consumption of insoluble fiber, such as that found in whole grains, especially wheat bran (i.e., All-Bran) is one of the most effective dietary changes you can make to decrease your risk of colon cancer.

7. Fiber is a family food. In addition to being friendly to aging bowels, fiber is also valuable for school-age children, mainly because it delays the absorption of sugars from the food into the bloodstream, making the blood sugars more stable - and, consequently, making the children more likely to behave and learn better. Send your child off to school with a breakfast containing at least 5 grams of fiber, the amount contained in a medium-fiber cereal and one serving of fruit

Are next installment coming soon!!!!!
FANTASTIC FIBER: PART III
HOW MUCH FIBER DO YOU NEED?
After reading our Fun Fantastic Fiber information you have everything you need to get on your way to better health! Recipes and other ways to boost your fiber will be coming the Blog in the near future too!!!! I know were are excited so you should be too!!!

Fantastic Fiber Part I

WHAT IS FIBER?
Grandma always told you that "roughage" was good for you, and now research is proving that fiber in foods is important to health. Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that is neither digested nor absorbed. Why should fiber matter to good nutrition, since it doesn't provide any calories or nutrients? Fiber helps keep your intestines working comfortably and helps prevent many diseases. Here is why fiber is so fantastic:

Fiber comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Each acts differently in the intestines and benefits the body in different ways. Soluble fiber acts like a sponge; insoluble fiber acts like a broom.

Soluble fiber. Found in dried beans and peas, oat bran, rice bran, barley, and fruit pectin (the substance used to thicken jams and jellies). Soluble fiber absorbs water in the intestines, mixes the food into a gel, and thereby slows the rate of glucose absorption in the bloodstream. Helps keep your blood sugar level, so you don't have ups and down in your energy level.

Insoluble fiber. This is the stringy stuff that holds plants together. It's called "insoluble" because it doesn't dissolve in water. It can be found mainly in plant leaves, peels, skins, and the coverings of whole grains (e.g., wheat bran). Like a disposable diaper, insoluble fiber can absorb many times its own weight in water. This water adds bulk and softness to the stools and keeps them moving along more comfortably. Think of eating fiber like brushing your teeth - it cleans out your intestines daily.

And in the next installment...no pun intended...
7 HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER

10 days to gradulation

Happy Birthday Greg

Well today is Greg's 31st Birthday (Yeah) Unfortunately we both had to work today so as it was we celebrated last night. Greg was invited to dinner at their good friends' Mike and Bridget House for Grilled Wings and baked Fries and a chocolate cake made with orange juice rather than water (its really tasty) and then home to open presents with Laura. Greg certainly was well remembered this year with all kinds of wonderful presents from everyone. Though seeing as it is late and Greg is tired I think We'll head to bed to wake for another day at the grind stone. Love to all. G & L

PS only 11 more days till GRADUMACATION

As the song says "the answer my friend is blowin' in the wind"

After work the Mister and I took a walk...that's the regular part of the story. But tonight we were so dedicated that we walked during a wind storm. That's right 25 mph winds that came in with that cool front, it was mighty chilly too. So half the walk it was hard to walk and half we had a little extra help. Our motto is "no more excuses".... we will work out like a mail man, we will walk and work out no matter the weather. Bye the way Greg is able to do 13 pushups...you go with your bad self!!!! Lifes to short for excuses!!!!


FYI:
Ways to Walk an Hour a Day
Walking in short bursts works!by Maggie Spilner

Weight loss experts say the same thing: In order to lose weight, you must walk for an hour a day, 5 or 6 days a week. To most of us, that seems like a huge chunk of time. But there's a simple solution that kept me from throwing in the towel: You can divvy up that hour over the course of a day.That's right, little chunks of activity are just as good as one big chunk, and they may be even better. So instead of trying to squeeze my hour of walking into my pre-breakfast get-ready-for-work routine, I do 20 minutes in the morning. At lunch, I step out for a brisk walk into town and run an errand or pick up a bite to eat at my desk. That's another 20, at least.I may take a walk break mid-afternoon, when I feel myself slumping in front of my computer. Then, after dinner, I either walk around the track by my home or pop a Leslie Sansone walking video in the VCR. I could feel satisfied with 40 minutes, but if weight loss is the goal, it's just not good enough. (And many guidelines suggest that a minumum of 1 hour a day may be the best bet for staying healthy too.)Research suggests that short bursts of activity may cause your body to burn calories more steadily throughout the day. If you're stumped on how to fit an hour into your day, try this chunking approach.

18 days till the graduation!!!!

Week in review....
What did you do in the last week? Well, I've been plenty busy. Lets start with last MONDAY a week ago. I was off work and so was the entire banquet staff.. which was helpful since it was our official send off party for Martin our former executive pastry chef. He's heading north to up state NY to work with a good friend and our former Chef David. We meet up at a local pub where the drinks were a plenty. We spend the evening partying culinary style (lots drinks, laughter, and bad jokes). We stayed there for a while then Greg , Dawn (good friend.. she made Karen and Joe's wedding cake) and myself went to chez le village inn for some superb late night breakfast. That is one classy joint. Then onward home, where I was out like a light.
TUESDAY is was off from work, thank God since I had my fill of liquid refreshment the night before. No hangover, but my brain was a big pile of mush. So I watched the boob tube, sometimes it even watched me.
WEDNESDAY.....worked a little
THURSDAy....worked a little more, Greg sang at church
FRIDAY... worked a little more, Greg sang at church some more
SATURDAY...worked a lot... Greg sang a lot at church
SUNDAY.... Worked to much... Greg sang at church
to some it all up My feet are very tired... and greg's vocal cords are tired too!!!

So much excitement!!!!

Graduation....coming to U soon...24 days....and the days are flying

Shrubbery!!! Shrubbery!!!!

We are not talking about Monty Phython folks...Really! The weather here in Jax has been so lovily. So after church I went with Karen and Joe to pick out some plants and the local market. It was funny to see Karen in the back seat of Joe's car and six small bushes. They also got some borders for there vegetable garden. Which is doing very well so far, I can't wait to see how this little garden progresses. Back to the shruggery... the new ones are to replace the dead ones in there front yard. Before we started we took in a light lunch which karen whipped up. Then it was onward to the great outdoors!!! Karen and I started by doing some weeding in the back yard, while Joe raked the front yard. Then after the dead plants were taken out of the ground we had to pull out some more nasty roots from some other bushes that were lopped off and covered up from the previous owner. Then put the new shrubs in the ground... They do look lovily. I have some lovily photo's but the internet is not behaving... i'll post they when the internet gods are more happy. Hey Sarah I even do yard work and i don't even have a yard....