LIFE LATELY...

Hi peeps... How's it going?? Well, in my last post I mentioned I was going to take the weekend to get lots of rest. That's just when life happened and rest was the last thing I got. My sweet baby you see there passed away on July 3rd. It was sort of sudden and it sort of wasn't. He had a severe case of a genetic type of heart disease, which we just discovered in May. I notice EVERYTHING, so he was obviously good at hiding his feelings from me for all these years. Thanks to heart meds, the good days started to outweigh the few bad days. I was so hoping that I would have a lot more time with him. But July 3rd was his last bad day. He's no longer uncomfortable and I have to be grateful for that. The companionship and unconditional love he gave me will be unforgettable, and I'm grateful for that, too. Anyway, that's the main reason for the silence here last week. To say that I was obsessed with my little guy is an understatement, so I was hysterical when it happened and for a few days after that. Then I was exhausted from being hysterical. Then I spent some time with my family and finally got some much needed rest. I've only needed a few tissues while writing this (as opposed to half a box of tissues in one sitting), so things are slowly getting easier. I'm just taking it a day at time. But life goes on and here are a few moments from life lately...

These are my mom's fiddle fig trees! Aren't they amazing?? They are easily the biggest real ones I've ever seen. I asked her how she got them to grow that big and here is what she said...

• Re-pot them as soon as you buy them in a pot that is double the size of the original pot. Be sure the pot can drain.
• They need to be in bright light most of the day.
• Water larger plans with 1/2 gallon of water once a week. Water smaller plants with 1/4 gallon of water once a week. 
• Feed it Miracle Grow once a month. No feeding is required during the winter months. 
• Give them a half-turn once every other week to ensure they grow evenly and get even exposure to the sun. 

These slides have been my go-to shoes on the weekends as of late. They are SO comfortable and they go with so many things... 

I'm still on my crazy strict diet, which means I cook a lot, which means I'm always thankful when someone else does the cooking! My mom made this shrimp bowl for me and it was delish! She just sautéed some organic squash, zucchini, onion, Brussels sprouts, and garlic in olive oil. She seasoned it with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. She added some wild shrimp to the pot at the end. I put the vegetables and shrimp on top of some sweet potato noodles that were sautéed in garlic oil - and done! So good. 

Also, I got some really great news regarding my Hashimoto's diagnosis earlier this week, so the diet and lifestyle changes are working!!! THANK GOD because this has been so tough... I'll share more soon!