Bacon or Bagel for Breakfast?

Here's an interesting infographics from Massive Health. The way I understand it, it just want to convey that choosing the right food does not necessary mean staying away from fat or carbohydrates. Based on my readings lately, there are good and bad carbo and fats. And this infographics says it all. 

Changing Lanes

I am changing lane. Follow me at www.bigladynomoreblogspot.com  

Changing Dining Table

Since we moved in a small place, I am trying to find ways to maximize available space without sacrificing comfort and style at home. Since it has served our family for almost a decade now, I will pass it to my sister so she will have a more decent dining table. 

I am firm on having a bench-type dining set made. I already talked with a carpenter and I am on a scout for the right planks of wood to be used. Searching the Internet, I found these interesting pieces. I want a table and two long benches. 

6 drinks I must have every day

Based on an article in Yahoo today, there are six drinks one must have to fight ageing, and when is the best time of the day to drink them. 

Water as first in the list must be taken any time of the day especially when you feel dehydrated. Dehydration does not only show in our skin or in our eyes. It shows also in the internal organs. I can attest to that when I went under the knife and my doctor was worried with how dehydrated my liver, gall bladder, and stomach are. 

A cup of black coffee for breakfast can help speed up metabolism. Well, I drink coffee anytime of the day with sugar and cream. And that does not do me any good. So I must try black coffee only now. 

A cup of green tea for hot. I assume this must be hot or warm. A Chinese friend once told me that I must drink a cup of hot or warm water after every heavy meal to help my digestive system to avoid oil from food I ate to turn into solid form. A cup of green tea also helps perking up metabolism. 

A glass of warm choco drink for afternoon snack. I want it hot. Others like it cold. Choco drink has more caffeine content that can help me survive the rest of the day. 

A glass of red wine for dinner. This is something I must get accustomed to. I am not a wine drinker. But there is no harm in trying. 

And lastly a glass of warm milk. I have been doing this on and off for my calcium source. 

An Upscale Ribbon to Hair Clip for my Niece

I saw some ribbon scraps in my sewing box. I remembered that I still have this lone big clip which I have wanted to adorn since I got it from my other box of scraps.

After a few minutes and a heat of glue gun, I have this hair clip for my niece. Nice try! I still have other ribbon scraps and I saw some bobby pins in a store the other night. I am now excited to do more for her.

I am now in the process of collecting some scrap materials of ribbon and fabrics I can use for more hair accessories.

Inspiration: Coasters, anyone?

Based from these inspirations, I am on the process of creating my line of coasters in time for the Christmas gift-giving. This is good to give to your loved ones, co-workers, and friends. It comes in a set of 4 in different designs to choose from.

Pillows Pillows Pillows

These pictures of different pillows are not mine. I got them from Pinterest. They are so nice to look at. They are so beautiful. The colors, prints, and shapes. I love them. 

Nail Art in Season

I noticed that nail art is in trend now. Well it has been around for sometime now but technology through digital printing lets you choose your own design and have it printed directly on your fingernails. This is costly on most of those who want to perk up their lonely mails. Browsing through Pinterest, I saw some nail art designs that can be done with the help of nail polish, dotting tool, adhesive tapes.

You can play with colors, lines, and dots to make your designs. Use monochromatic colors or contrasting colors on all your fingernails. You can also try to make various related designs and colors.

When my sister had her fingernails done, I advised her to use striking red nail polish as its base then thin strokes of black to form diagonal lines. It is nice to look at. Here is a collage of nail arts photos showing lines and dots in different splashes.

Dream Board 1: For Kids

Thinking of new project that somehow can generate me a little income. I do not know how to sew but my eldest sister does. Browsing through Pinterest, I found some inspiring projects that we can start to work on. I intended to sell these items online and let us see how we can take off from there.

What is good thing about these projects, they can be made using scrap materials which I can hoard from Divisoria or Baclaran. Not bad at all.

Changing Lanes

Okay, I quit working full time few months ago. I got tired of it. I felt I sacrificed my life - happiness, health, and all to much that I lost myself elsewhere. I had to stop and ask: Where am I leading? Do I really to continue with this? What I really want to do with my life? I am close to being 40 and I know some people who have awakened from long sleep and realized they want to do something else. I will be away from the city for some sort of soul searching. I have some things playing on my mind on what I really want to do and I want to start with myself. I have been big all my life. I grew bigger and now close to 300lbs. I feel depressed. I cannot wear clothes I want. I cannot do activities that I have imagining to do. And I want to get out from this body size. I want to weigh 150 lbs at the end of 2012. I want to make clothes. No, I want to upscale clothes. I want to focus on making crafts I can sell online. I want to work with my hands. I want to start from there. Whew! This decision means that I need to leave my family behind and think only about me, myself, and I. It took me almost 15 years to realize this. Sadly, I am in a different difficult situation now.

Birthday Party: Rock Princess Party

My niece, Jaja, celebrated her 7th birthday. She didn't want any theme related to cartoon characters. She thought of a rock and roll party. In fact, she drew on her diary the clothes she wants to wear - imagine hi-cut shoes, leather jacket, stockings, and the likes. 

The rock princess and her cake

Making spaghetti for kids?

I love to cook. Aside from its taste, I want to present the dishes as different as possible to excite my nephews and niece. Though they are not complaining as long as the food I serve tastes good, it is me who desires to make the most of what I am cooking and serving. I love what I saw from Pinterest on how I can present the hotdogs and pasta when I cook spaghetti. :-) This is a must try at home. And I am planning to do this next Saturday when I cook spaghetti for my mother's 61st birthday. 

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Burong Mangga (Fermented Green Mangoes)

My sister went home one night with few pieces of green mangoes. We are not fond of eating unripe mango as it is. Oftentimes, we make green mango salad out of it. We combine sliced mangoes with minced onions, tomatoes, and bagoong alamang.

But today, I think of making burong mangga or fermented green mango. I searched the net for an easy recipe and I found one from foodrecap.net


Ingredients:

6 pcs green mangoes
1/2 c coarse salt
2 c water

Procedure:

1. Wash mangoes in running water.
2. Peel and cut mangoes into halves. Slice cheeks uniformly.
3. Arrange slices in a preserving jar.
4. Boil salt and water solution for five minutes. Cool.
5. Pour salt solution on mango.
6.Cover loosely and allow to ferment for two to three days.
7. Tighten cover and store in refrigerator.

I remember during my elementary and high school days, we studied how to preserve fruits and vegetables. I remember that I must sterilize the bottles first to make sure they are germ-free.

I will do these immediately when I get the needed bottles where I can preserve the green mangoes.

10-day old Green Pepper plant

I got excited to see that my green pepper plant has sprouts already. So I just planted some tomato seeds and I hope I will be successful too.

As my friend said it, welcome to urban farming. :-)

Sugar, anyone?

When I think of drinking cola, this will remind me how many sugar cubes I am actually putting in my body system. 

Making Arnibal (Sugar Syrup) for Sago Ice Candy

My youngest sister wants to make sago ice candy and sell them to the kids in our neighborhood. She plans to sell it for one peso since this is only the buying ability of the kids. Of course, without sacrificing the taste, she will do something to make sure she still gets her profit.

She asked me to make sugar syrup or arnibal. I turn to Google and found a recipe for this one from lutongpinoy.info.

Ingredients:

Sugar
Water

Procedure:
1. Caramelize sugar over medium heat.
2. Pour in water when the sugar gets melted.
3. Continue cooking to make sure that the sugar is dissolved completely.
4. Set aside to cool.

Do You Take Enough Water Every Day?

When I went under the knife two years ago, my doctor learned how dehydrated I was prior to that. My internal organs manifested it. My liver was so dehydrated. She strongly advised me to keep myself hydrated. With my weight, I am supposed to have three liters of water. I never had a way to find out if I really did have even at least  a liter a day. Well, this is a very interesting way to make sure you drink up enough water a day. I stumbled upon this in Pinterest.com. (Yeah, I am another Pinterest addict.) 

So each container can hold up to a liter. Having three of this, I can split up my required 3 liters daily water intake. What do you think?

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Pounds to Go, Pounds Lost

This is very interesting visual representation of the pounds to lose and lost. I am thinking to do the same but I guess in monetary form. I need to lose 100 pounds. For every pound lost, I will save Php5.00. By the time I lost the 100-pound challenge, I already have Php500.00. 

(Pinterest.com)

The past months have been full of challenges and depression. I ballooned to 270lbs. I will be living outside Manila to rethink and find myself. I lost it somewhere I couldn't remember. When I get back, I am determined to lose 100lbs. It may take me a number of months. But by December 2012, I will be 170lbs.