and again, when you are at a good weight and having regular cycles, you can absolutely add in a lot more whole wheat and whole grain foods, as well as all fruits and vegetables and other "good carbs" like beans. if your cycles get a little kooky or you gain weight, that's when you know you need to reduce again.

i know some people don't love the whole valentine's thing. but it is so fun to me! i don't care if the greeting card company made it up- any day where i get to be pretty, treated with sweetness, have a declicious dinner and some romance is right on in my book.

and that made me think of all the insomniatic nights that she stayed up with me and mirrored my every move and snuggled me right out of my anxiety into dreamland, long after grant and cate had drifted off.

different boyfriends came and went through all this, some i thought i could marry, some i was mad at myself for hanging around, some that broke my heart.

project 31 is rolling along. i have donations for every single item i need for the 31 newborn kits and lots of fabric donations and i will sew until there are 31 baby quilts too! thank you SO much, i was overwhelmed by the awesome response. packages are starting to arrive! i will be sure to post some pictures when i get it all together and ready to take to the humanitarian center. my heart is happy.

i remember that, too. it was really fun. i hope it gets warm again real soon. i can't wait to go to the park again with you two. love, mom

secondly, i must say i know carbohydrates aren't bad. i know bread is life and wheat is the staff of life. a lot of fruits and veggies are quite sugary/ starchy. for almost everyone eating all these foods in moderation will do them fine. but remember, i am trying to regulate an abnormality. to a diabetic sugar is the devil. to someone with celiac disease wheat is the devil. to someone with milk allergies dairy is the devel. and what i've come to believe that for some women who don't ovulate, high blood sugar may be their devil, and it definately is mine.

but i couldn't stop looking at the picture because it shows the place where i played for the first 12 years of my life.

it was the first time i realized that things don't always go how you think they will. and that it all can turn out better than you imagined.

all day the kids hung out at that corner, played on that grass, got drinks out of that hose, went through the secret passage way in the juniper bushes, and only left the area to go "around the block" over and over again. sometimes it was on bikes with banana seats, sometimes roller skates, sometimes big wheels, sometimes walking, even occasionally on skateboards with cardboard boxes on them (our "cars").

snacks: NUTS!!! i would die without nuts. i love roasted almonds, cashews, peanuts. i also love those roasted edamame. they taste like nuts even though they're not. and nuts taste really good with a few slices of swiss cheese. also deli meat slices, celery with peanut butter on it, a few whole grain crackers with cheese, beef jerky, sugar free snack packs, stuffed mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, protein bars, crudites, and more NUTS!