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Homosassa Springs Field Trip

January 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
One of my favorite places on the planet, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is just a wonderful way to spend the day.  The kids and I have gone there many times over the years and there’s always something new and interesting.  There weren’t many manatee to photograph this time, but we spent a lot of time with the birds and even got up close and personal with a bard owl.  If you’re in Central Florida, you really shouldn’t miss it.  Every animal is indigenous to Florida with the exception of Lucifer the hippo, who was made an honorary citizen by the late governor Lawton Chiles.  I really don’t know why Florida doesn’t do more to promote this park … the history and purpose are quite fascinating and it’s a beautiful area.
The weather was perfect – it’s going to be too hot to enjoy the park pretty soon – and we had a lovely day.
I was itchy to play with my new camera and these shots are straight out of the camera. I’m quite happy with my new toy.



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I Could Show You My Favorite Obsession

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

So back in the beginning of January, I talked a bit about the things I was looking to change, create, or get rid, of in my post about my resolutions.  One of the first things I did was go see the doctor and I’m mostly on track with that – I may have had a bad day yesterday, but mostly on track and I’m happy with my progress on that front.

The second thing I’ve been working on is creativity – I talked in the first post about figuring out what makes my heart sing and taking pictures does that.  I don’t know that I’d want to be a pro, but I love taking pictures of the events that we go to, of the field trips we take, the food we eat, etc.  I have to admit that I was not much of a photographer when you had to go develop film, but since digital photography became affordable, I have been all over it – I got my first digital camera in 1999.  Back in December, I went on a photo walk with local photographer, Kent Weakley after having taken one of his online courses.  I really enjoyed the course – but there were some things I just didn’t quite get, so I thought that taking the walking class I’d have the opportunity to ask him about the things that confused me. You see, I’ve really been trying to “up my game” when it comes to taking pictures and I was getting frustrated that I couldn’t figure some things out.  Kent was great, he really took the time to figure out what my problem was and he was so nice about it.  In the end, it turned out that my camera (a high end point and shoot) was still auto focusing even when I was telling it not to.

I have to tell you, I was so relieved that it wasn’t me! I knew then and there that it was time to finally take the plunge and get a DSLR.  I did tons of research about Nikons and Canons and in the end I decided that the Canon was the one I wanted.  I went to stores and held them all, played with the features, really got the feel.  I loved the way the Rebel felt, but I was really confused about kits. I came across on article on The Pioneer Woman’s site by Miz Booshay about kits and the lenses that usually come with them and I knew that I needed the 50mm f/1.8 lens – I want to play with bokeh and take soft portrait shots with shallow depths of field and I got the impression that this was a great lens to start with.

Pretty, right?

 

Ok, so I knew I wanted this one – but I also wanted a lens for walking around and landscape and event photography, with a zoom.  I polled everyone I knew, in real life, on Facebook, Twitter, and everyone talked about buying the 18-135 or 18-200 mm.  the 18-200 was out of my price range, but there was a kit that had the 18-135.

Even Prettier!

Hmm..

The problem, however – is that this was going to cost me about eleventy billion dollars. Ok, just under $1100.00.  Still – I don’t have that kind of money lying around.  Not to be deterred, I sold everything I owned that we weren’t using;  all the old iPods, iPhones, cameras, homeschool curriculum, anything that was fetching a couple of bucks on eBay and then Jim got an unexpected bonus and gave it to me, so that I didn’t have to wait for all the money to clear before ordering the camera.

I ordered the camera and not one penny came out of our household finances.  Yay!

I received the camera yesterday and I’m blown away by the features and photographs it takes. I can’t wait to get out and start taking pictures – as of now, I’ve taken pictures of my living room, just to lock in my memory where each of the settings are and what they do.  I’m a little intimidated by the camera, but I know that once I start shooting I’ll be much more comfortable.  There are hundreds of online groups and challenges and I’m thinking I might start with this one:

Here’s the problem:  I already know of about $800 worth of merchandise that I’m going to want soon.  I’ve made a deal with myself though, no more lenses until I’m completely comfortable with the two I already have.  But I think… no, I know I need this:

Kelly Moore Bag: 2 Sues Bag from kelly clark on Vimeo.

Are you doing any photography challenges or groups?  Want to connect and share your photos with me?  I’m on Flickr.

P.S. If you’re in the market, make sure to check B&H Photo – they had the best prices on the camera and lenses I was researching.
P.P.S Extra points if you can name the film from which I blatantly stole the title.



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Filed Under: Geek Girl and Gadgetry, In My Life Tagged With: , , , , ,

My Doctor Visit and Our Vitamin Deficiency Issues

January 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

All the New Year’s resolutions made, I’m following up on most and I’m pretty happy with my follow through so far.  Although we’re not even two weeks into the new year, so I’m not going to strain too hard to pat myself on the back.

This week, I followed through with my blood work at the doctor’s office.  This is a new doctor and it’s only my second time seeing him.  I’ve had the worst luck with doctors for the past couple of years, so I’m being very cautious. The last time I went, he ordered more panels than I have ever had and when I went to have the blood drawn, I was more than a little nervous about the amount of vials the phlebotomist carried over to the table.  Thankfully, she was really good and I got just slightly lightheaded – not so bad.

So, the results were that my thyroid is “non-therapeutic”, my triglycerides were “through the roof” and I’m “severely vitamin B12 deficient” (quotes are the doctor’s).  I was not expecting this at all. I thought we would find the reasons for my fatigue, mood swings, lethargy, inability to lose weight and various other complaints, in my hormones (women of a certain age and all).  Turns out those aren’t the hormones giving me such a hard time. My sugar is okay – not great, but ok, my iron levels are good and everything else looks fine.  Not the greatest results, but nothing horrible and everything is manageable and apparently connected.

Getting old sucks.

So – I’m back on the no processed carbs plan (boy am I going to miss pasta), generic synthroid for my thyroid, 1000 mcg of B12, and generic Prilosec for my acid reflux, a bump up from the ranitidine which wasn’t working as well as we hoped and if the prilosec doesn’t work I’ll be going to an ENT specialist because then it my be something other than reflux.

Anyway – the reason that I’m writing about this here (other than my inherent need to share every bit of my life with you) is that I had no idea how prevalent B12 deficiencies are.  Coincidentally, the day I went to the doctor, Dr. Oz did a show about it. Some studies suggest that up to 40% of the population might be deficient.  And the effects can be devastating.  Without sufficient B12, our bodies can not replicate DNA normally, which means that we can’t make new, healthy cells:

Common manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency include weakness, numbness and tingling, fatigue, dizziness, swelling and irritation of the mouth and tongue, and irritability. Anemia can develop, as noted, but a high intake of folate can compensate for a deficiency of vitamin B12 and prevent anemia.

The most serious manifestation of B12 deficiency is impaired brain function, due to the effects of B12 on nerve cells. Advanced B12 deficiency causes dementia severe enough to resemble Alzheimer’s disease. Generally, though, the dementia caused by B12 deficiency is completely reversible with supplementation. While folate can prevent B12-deficient anemia, it cannot prevent the dementia – only B12 itself can do that job.

(read the article here)

Yikes, right? So the doctor suggests that I take 1000 micrograms of B12 a day and when I got home and looked at the B complex I had, there are only 15 mcg of B12 – so even if I was taking the supplement, it’s not nearly enough.  Now normally, I really like to get all my nutrients from food – but sometimes we need a little help and I’m more than willing to try the supplement especially after I got some information about sources of B12 in our diets…

Guess where B12 comes from… animal protein. And guess how animals make B12… by eating molds and fungi in the grass in the pastures.  And guess where they can’t get the molds and the fungi… from processed corn feed. All the more reason to make sure we stop eating corn fed beef and start to demand grass fed. I’m not buying anymore corn fed. Also, they sell grass fed bison in Publix and I’ve never tried it so that will be on the menu soon. Fish is a great source too and our plan is to eat more fish in the new year anyway.

I gave myself permission to take the weekend to feel sorry for myself and Monday we’re on track.

So, go have your B12 checked and demand grass fed beef.

Stepping off my soap box now.  Thanks for indulging me.

Oh, and I think I like my doctor, but I’m still being cautious.

Image credit: Krossbow



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Revisiting some Favorites

January 10, 2012 By 2 Comments

I believe this is going to be a year of some serious “re-reading”.  Not of fiction – I don’t have much patience for rereading a work of fiction.  Not that I don’t read them, I certainly do – but I’m more of a devourer.  I devour a piece of fiction and either love it, or don’t finish it.  I’m way beyond the point of feeling obligated to give a novel more of a chance.  If I’m not identifying or caring about something in the first hundred pages or so, I close the book and move on.  I do feel bad for the author that hasn’t grabbed me, but I figure there are plenty of people in the world, not all of the authors need me to love them.  Of course there have been more than a few works have fiction that have grabbed me and taken me on a ride into worlds I’d never dreamed of, but lately I don’t seem to find as many of them as I used to – and once the story is done, I move on.  There aren’t many works of fiction that I’ve read more than once.  It’s also harder to find the time to read than it used to be. There are so many things pulling for my attention all the time; my work, my children, cooking, writing, all the other creative things that I feel compelled to try, or to try again… A passive, quiet, little book barely has a chance in my world.

When we moved last July, I packed up a box of books and considered donating them.  But, I thought, I really don’t remember what’s in those books.  I know I’ve read them – some more than once, but I couldn’t quite place what I’d learned. I know enjoyed going through them, but their impact?  Well, I couldn’t remember. To be fair, I’ve been raising children for sixteen years.  And truly, I don’t believe you really start to get your brain back until your children can start doing things for themselves.  When you can take an hour long bath, with the music on and no one interrupts you, or when you can spend the day in bed because you’re sick and actually get away with it?  That’s when you can start focusing on things other than the little humans that you’re raising.  Not because they no longer need you, but because they no longer need you 24/7/365… Most of the books in question I read before that point in my life so it’s no wonder I can’t remember much.

But I digress.

The vast majority of these books are on spirituality and creativity and in hindsight I can see that I was desperate to carve something out for myself – never quite forgetting that I was in fact, more than “mommy” – so now that my children are teens and can be left for longer periods of time without having to worry that they’ll climb on the entertainment center, or scramble eggs on the floor, I have the time to explore and nurture this side of myself.

To that end, I have the books stacked up and ready to go and I’m determined to give each one of them another go.  I’m quite excited as they’re written by some of my favorites; Marianne Williamson, Julia Cameron, Eckardt Tolle, Gary Zukav and quite a few others. I’ve just finished “A Return to Love” and I got so much more out of it than I remember from the last time.  Next up is Julia’s “The Sound of Paper” and one chapter in – I feel like I’m having a conversation with an old friend.

If you’d like to follow along – I have a page of the list of books I’m reading or you could be my friend on Goodreads…

(affiliate links)

Photo Credit: Friar’s Balsam



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Healthy Essentials

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We are a Johnson & Johnson family; always have been. We don’t use adhesive bandages, we use Band-Aids, we don’t use cotton swabs, we use Q-Tips, we don’t use mouth wash, we use Listerine.  I tried bargain brands and immediately came back to the real thing.  I know I can always count on the quality of their product, so I was thrilled to be chosen to write about Johnsons & Johnson, the money saving coupons that they’re offering and the Feeding America Program. 

I received a box of great products (look at that sequined look Band-Aid!) to try and was very familiar with all of the products in the box, except for the Neutrogena hand cream – I didn’t even know that Neutrogena was a J&J brand!  It’s a really nice hand cream that I now keep by the front door for people to use when they come in out of the cold.  My hands are so nice and soft – I have a really hard time with the cold weather on my skin and Florida has had a couple of serious cold snaps so far this winter.

There was a large coupon offer in newspapers on January 8th with over $190.00 in coupon savings, but don’t worry if you missed it – You can sign up for all the coupons at the Healthy Essentials website.  With the holidays just passed, I know I could use all the savings help that I can get!

Even better, Johnson & Johnson has teamed up with FEEDING AMERICA™, and each “Healthy Essentials” coupon redeemed between January 8th and January 15th will result in one meal donated by Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies to FEEDING AMERICA™ (up to 1 million meals).

Save money, do good?  There’s a win/win! I love supporting companies that support communities.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies and received products to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.



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