A friend of mine who is also a mentor at DOUA told me about Pay Per Post (PPP) and how I could get paid to blog. Her excitement over earning money about writing about a product or service is contagious. She helped me get started with my blog. Being disabled, I was looking for a way to earn extra money for my family.

Learning to write has become a passion. I am able to write about the things I love or dealing about in my life. Through many forums and communities I have joined, I have made many new friends.

When I found out that my blog was approved through Pay Per Post, I was so excited. After meeting their requirements finally, I am now going to be able to make the extra money I need. With both of my daughters graduating this year, one from college and the other from high school, I sure am going to need the extra money. I would like to send my oldest daughter some money to help pay on her college loan. My youngest daughter wants a graduation party plus the Prom Dance is coming up soon. Then she will be starting college in the Fall.

If you have a blog and enjoy writing, why not join Pay Per Post? I have a widget on my sidebar. Just click and join! Start getting paid to blog.

Starting to feel better about my depression. Several friends have been very supportive and understanding, which helps a lot. My oldest daughter even called to talk to me. I surprised her with telling her I have been smoke free for 15 days. She is so pleased and proud of me. I told her why I waited to tell her till now. I wanted to make sure that I really truly could do it and stay quit. Didn’t want to disappoint her again, even though she understood about the last time I tried to quit and the circumstances around not succeeding in quitting.

Last time was after I came home from the hospital after breaking my leg. Family, relatives and visitors came to visit me at my house. Many of them are smokers. They were use to smoking in my house. It was still very cold outside at the end of February of 2007. So it was a losing battle trying to stay quit on the nicotine patches.

The Chantix has made a huge difference. I am so glad. My instructor from the health department, Duff, called me today to check on me and see how I was doing. It is nice to know I have so much support. This helped lift my spirits more.

My oldest daughter surprised me with some wonderful news. She will be receiving her Bachelor of Business and Management on April 27th and she will just have turned 27. At least, that is what I remember her telling me the degree is. I am in shock. This is the best news that she could tell me that she finally finished and got her degree. She knows how I feel about education and how it is important for a woman to be able to take care of themselves with a great career or job. She is a very independent woman who I love, admire and respect. Okay, now she has the great career and it will only get better with the next promotion to General Manager of a new bookstore. She is getting the degree. Now to find a husband for my daughter. Just kidding readers, I know my daughter will find someone special as she is. Bright, intelligent, bubbly personality, smart, cute and fun. Hmmm, sounds like the start of a dating ad.

Over the last five days, I have been experiencing some depression. Not exactly sure what is triggering the depression. There has been several issues I have been dealing with that have been stressful. It is not the kind of stressful I feel like pulling my hair out kind. It has been more of, what am I going to do about these situations stress.

When I am feeling this way, I start feeling depressed. Simple things seem to make me cry. Dealing with a daughter who is bi-polar is not easy. Her doctor just changed her medication again to a new one. The roller coaster mood swings and aggressive verbal comments from her I am having to deal with more this past two weeks. For myself, I have tried over and over to setup a work schedule for my website and blogging and house chores. Not doing well in that department at all. Trying to work around my daughter’s schedules and school closings due to the weather. My youngest daughter likes being on the computer when she does not have a day in school or have to go to work. Wish we had another computer in the house. I sure wish I had a partner in working to take photos and write descriptions after researching the item. Heck, I sure wish I had a partner.

Valentine’s Day was very nice over all. My ex-husband took me out for lunch. I don’t know really the reason why anymore. Been divorced for over 14 years. We are best friends finally after all the years we were apart. A lot of people do not understand how we can live in the same house and not be romantically involved. It is easy. I remember the pain of the marriage breaking up. Yes, I have forgiven him. He is the one who does not love me anymore either. The big reason we live in the same house is we have a daughter that needs us. She may not think it sometimes, but she does. He doesn’t have to worry about the house payments and all that comes with owning a house. I bought the house after moving up North from Florida. Anyway, on Valentine’s Day night, I took our youngest daughter out to eat. We did have an enjoyable conversation over dinner. I wish that her sister could have been there.

With my oldest daughter living so far away and not being able to go see her much, it is hard on me mentally. I do miss her and love her so much. She and her sister are so different from each other, like day and night.

I know I haven’t been very good on my diabetic diet lately either. This maybe affecting my blood sugar levels too along with the depression. Hope I snap out of this feeling soon. It maybe also time to have my thyroid, lipid and liver profile levels checked again. Taking Depakote is hard on my liver, so I have to be careful on how high my level is. Hoping I feel better tomorrow.

I was doing some research and came across this article about the use of assistance dogs for people with hypoglycemia. The dogs are trained to sense an episode of hypoglycemia in humans and sound a life-threatening alert. To read more on this great story.

We have had a lot of high winds lately. The Arctic Blast finally moved in on Sunday. As I was coming home from church across the street walking, I could feel the cold cutting through me quickly. I have stayed indoors as much as possible. The weatherman has been advising to stay in as much as possible. The wind chill has been below zero. Schools were closed today due to we have a Level 2 Snow Emergency here in Ohio, only drive on roads if absolutely necessary. If we reach a Level 3, it is mandatory no driving allowed.

I knew something was going on with the weather before Sunday as my left knee and some of my other joints were aching and burning, painful feeling. It is the pits to have arthritis and the pain associated with it.

Last night and today, it has been snowing and turning into sleet. Since the barometric pressure was falling, I felt more aches and pains. There has been controversy over whether the low barometric pressure causes pain. I remember my mom having a wall barometer in our home when I was young. She would always say she could tell when bad weather was approaching because of the pain she felt. My mom suffered with severe arthritis in her spine and joints.

It is now raining and the temperatures are dropping into the 20s tonight. I have been hearing the salt trucks with the plows on and off since last night trying to clear our streets. The concern now is the rain turning into more ice. We cleared our sidewalks today and salted them but the rain just washes it away. I do not look forward to any ice in or near Valentine’s Day after what happened to me last year. Don’t want to go through that again and being in the hospital and not remembering Valentine’s Day.

I got a big surprise from Connie at MyChronicLife awarded my blog as rated E for Excellent.

I hope to make the day of these great bloggers:

Brain Foggles
Not the life I bargained for
Quit Smoking Together
Everyday Randomness
John Is Fit

A lot of people I know have gotten married in June. I was different and wanted a Valentine wedding. It was very easy to plan around a Valentine theme. There was plenty of decorations available in the stores at great prices. My soon-to-be husband was very romantic. He was great at surprising me. He would surprise me with flowers for “just because” while we were dating. He would make me dinner of chicken cordon bleu. Take me out dancing and having a special night for us.

I wanted an outdoor wedding also. So we planned for it along with a plan for indoor arrangements if it rained. Having a wedding outdoors in Florida has its ups and downs when it comes to the weather especially if the wedding is in the summer months.

My best friend who I wanted for my maid of honor had moved to Colorado and didn’t know if she could be there. I understood but was sad as I wanted her there for my wedding.

The morning of my wedding, the weather was absolutely beautiful and was a little chaotic as I had two children to get ready to for the wedding. My mom and sister arrived to help with them. Since this was not my first time to get married, I had chosen a two piece dress. We got to the church and my best friend and her husband and another very close friend were there. I was so surprised that they made it to my wedding. They told me they wanted to surprise me.

My husband and I were married down near a lake behind the church. I remember just before the ceremony looking out at the lake scene and thanking God for such a beautiful day to have my wedding. I could hear the birds near by chirping as the pastor started our ceremony. It seemed to go quickly and was over before I knew it.

Our reception was at the hotel restaurant my husband was employed as a chef. One of the other chefs was a friend to my husband and made our wedding cake as his wedding gift to us. Having my family and friends with us to celebrate that very special Valentine’s Day and my wedding day will stay with me for a long time.

Today, I have mostly spent talking to two of my friends. I am trying to still balance time for friends. I still need to write emails to other friends, will do that tomorrow.

Spent time with my youngest daughter going shopping. It is hard to talk with her as she is such a strong willed young girl. I try to spend quality time with her. We have a movie on DVD to watch. I think we can get through a movie without having a big difference of opinion.

I am still doing great without the cigarettes. Each day is getting easier. A friend of mine wrote about reaching a one month milestone with his quitting smoking. Check out his blog, Ramblings of An Inquisitive Idiot, on his progress.

I have been doing great so far the last three days being smoke free. Though I am having cravings from sweet to salty items. Not sure how that is related except maybe the oral gratification thing going on. I do know that it is affecting my blood sugar, not going to talk about the numbers. Still taking my Chantix pills twice a day and their support line now 3 times a week calling me.

My daughter is making progress from her oral surgery. Took her to school today late cause she decided to go back today. She woke this morning feeling nauseous. Found out she took her pain killer on an empty stomach early this morning. Advised her to always eat something before taking medications, unless the doctor or pharmacist tells her to take on empty stomach. Because I take so many medications, I learned the hard way about ulcers and medications eating at my stomach lining from taking them before eating a nutritious meal. With my daughter being home so much lately, I thought she might say something encouraging about my not smoking, since she was the one to complain the loudest over the many years. She hasn’t said anything except “How’s the quitting going?” I told her and she never said anything back. Oh well…

My other family member who is still smoking has been more considerate. He makes sure that he puts a towel under his bedroom door so the smoke does not penetrate the hallway or under the door to my bedroom. When he is downstairs, he will go to the basement to smoke or outside. I have told him thank you for working with me. When I told him I have not smoked in 2 days, all I got from him was “that’s nice”.

Geez, you would think the family might have told me how proud they are of me. Guess I am having a little pity party looking for verbal support from my family. I keep reminding myself, I am doing this for me and my health, not them!

I was reading another article from the Duke University Medical Center’s researchers have found a correlation between how caffeine possibly increases blood sugar levels when consumed with meals among type 2 diabetics.

The researchers’ findings suggest that diabetics who regularly consume caffeinated beverages and are struggling to maintain a level blood sugar should consider reducing or eliminating caffeine from their diet.

I love my coffee, iced tea and occasional Coke Zero. I have reduced for the past 6 months the amount of caffeine I drink every day. I could drink a whole pot of coffee and more by myself in the past. Two to three cups over a 24 hour period is now my routine instead of 12+ cups. I have purchase decaffeinated coffee as well. I first started drinking decaffeinated coffee after experiencing nightly severe leg cramps. My chiropractor asked me how much coffee I was consuming. When I answered his question, he explained about caffeine depleting the potassium and calcium in my body causing leg cramping at night.

I do consume a lot of water each day. In the morning before my first cup of coffee, I drink a 20 oz glass of water with my medications. I drink around 5 of them total a day. Drinking the water helps eliminate the toxins from my body.

I have been totally smoke free for 2 days straight now. I am breathing so much easier. Still having mucus come out of my chest, instructor said it can take time for me since I smoked for so many years. I am not choking in my sleep anymore either. What a major difference Chantix and stop smoking has made in my life!