A Year's Blessings In Review

I have so many things to be thankful for. Family and friends who love me. A job that pays my bills. I am fairly healthy (excluding diabetes, of course). Overall, I don't have too much to complain about.One area which I've never, ever been quite about being thankful for is being a member of the D-OC. This community is amazing. I know this isn't a surprise to any of you, but I wanted to point it

Questions With No Answers

During the peak holiday season, I always have a hard time controlling my blood sugar. It's too high, it's too low. I over correct, I under bolus. It's a never ending roller-coaster. But, usually, I manage to get back into the swing of things pretty quickly. And I have at least some decent blood sugar times. Christmas Day and the two days after Christmas were a nightmare. I'm not sure how today is

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,I’ve noticed that other people asked you for a cure for diabetes this year for Christmas. As much as I would like a cure for diabetes (this year or next), I’ll leave the curing up to God. Instead, I’m asking you for next year’s Christmas present right now.It’s kind of technical and doesn’t really exist yet, so I figured I’d better give you and your elves plenty of time to get it

Because I've Lost My Mind...

Because I've lost my mind...or perhaps hit my head on something and had the sense knocked OUT of me, instead of into me, I've started a second blog. Yes, I can hear the crickets in the room as you stare in silenced astonishment at this screen. I'll answer you're unasked question: Yes, I've gone crazy.But I figured that most of my D-OC people don't exactly come to my blog looking for theatre news

Small Town Disadvantages

Most of you know I live in a really small town. The closest endo to me is almost an hour away. I travel over 2 hours to get to my current endo. In my town there are basically no specialists; only general practitioners. Being in a small town can had it's advantages. But when it comes to having diabetes, it can be a huge disadvantage. I have heard from people in my town more times than I'd care to

Christmas Beauty

There are so many things I love about this time of year. I love snow (when it doesn't interfere with my plans!). I love family gatherings. I love buying presents for people. I love giving and receiving Christmas cards. I love seeing children get excited about Santa and Christmas break.Sure, there are totally annoying parts about Christmas, like feeling obligated to buy presents for people you

Driving Without a Map

When I first became interested in CGMS, my doctor at the time explained it to me in interesting terms. He said that testing your blood sugar gives you a picture of that exact moment in time. The down side is that you are unsure if your blood sugar is rising or falling. He said, "You wouldn't drive a car if you only saw pictures of the road, right?"CGMS has been very good for me and my diabetes

New Patient

I have had the same General Practitioner for the past 15 or so years. I loved him. I rarely went in because I'm rarely sick, but he's been straight with me every time I've needed him to be. I credit him with me getting my diabetes life back in order. December 1st his office closed. He has moved into a different kind of care and is no longer going to have an office. I didn't think a whole lot

The End.

Okay, not the end of my blog... but the end of NaBloPoMo. :) I only missed one day. I'm a little sad about that, but overall, I'm proud of myself for sticking to it, even after the missed day. But, now that the month of November is over, I plan on taking a day or two off. Maybe even til Monday! Ekk. I hope everyone else had fun this month. I know I did!Oh, and welcome to the Christmas season. :)

Music Monday: Thanksgiving Parade

My favorite part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade every year is the performances from the shows on Broadway. This year, my current favorite show, American Idiot, performed "Good Riddance" which is the song they do during the encore of the show. Here's a YouTube clip... enjoy!

Wasted?

Have you ever put anything off just simply for the sake of putting it off? I was supposed to have a doctor’s appointment on Monday. I decided to reschedule it. My excuse: work. And while it is partly true that have a ton of deadlines to meet before Tuesday, it was mostly an excuse (a good one, but still an excuse) to put off my doctors appointment for a little while longer.There are several

Hide and Seek

It has been a while since I lost a blood sugar meter. In the almost 25 years since I was diagnosed, I can count on my hands the number of times that I lost and meter. Most of the times it was either when I was a child (I once lay one down in a Sears store...we never saw it again), or when I wasn't taking care of my diabetes the way that I should (i.e. going weeks without testing). Since I started

Black Friday....

I hope you all survived it. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

From my family to yours.... Happy Thanksgiving.

Diabetes Blessings

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States. This is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I get 2 days off, AND I get to spending it eating ginormous amounts of food and watching the Macy's Day Parade on TV. :) But this week, thanks to Mike from My Diabetic Heart, it is also Diabetes Blessings Week. It is a wonderful idea in which we remind ourselves of the good things that diabetes has

Opinions Wanted

In the D-OC, it has become easy to see that the Dexcom seems to be the CGM system of choice. I have the MiniMed system. When I first picked my pump, CGMS was so new that there wasn't even an integrated system yet. But it was coming. Within a few months it was to be released, so I went with it immediately in hopes that I'd be one of the first on CGMS. And I was lucky. Not only was I one of the

NaBloPoMo #FAIL

Yup. I failed. Its official. I forgot to post yesterday. You know when I remembered? At about 12:30 a.m. when I woke up from a dead sleep. If it hadn't been after midnight I probably would have gotten up and posted something. Anything. Cause I really, really hate to fail at stuff that I've said I'll do.Sigh. Oh well, I'll do all the rest of the days this month and I guess I can feel good that I

Cake Suicide

Well, I don't have a picture of it. My roommate told me I should have taken a picture. And put google eyes on it. But the Snickerdoodle cake I was to make for my job's Thanksgiving meal decided that it wanted to commit suicide right before I finished. At 10:00 p.m. the night before I needed it. Just imagine a cake, face down on the kitchen floor....I'm sure you can conjure up a mental picture. It

DOC Awards!

Ohhhhh. I LOVE awards. Awards shows on TV, online voting contests, even those crazy "who wore it best" things on the internet. Nerd? Totally.And there are new awards to check out. The 2010 Diabetes OC Awards. We get to nominate for several different categories, and then voting will begin December 9th. Go check out the page for information on how to nominate someone. I've already got my list

#DSMA Guest Post

For those of you who Tweet, most of you probably know about #dsma, or Diabetes Social Media Advocacy. The lovely Cherise is behind this idea. Every Wednesday night, we can "meet" on Twitter to ask questions and discuss specific topics related to diabetes. I miss it every week because I am at church during this time, but Cherise posts the round-ups on the DSMA website.Several weeks ago Cherise

Wordless Wednesday

Okay, there are a few words.... You know you live in the house with a diabetic when you see things like this:

Traveling in Style

Just the other day, Kerri posted this about her long pump tubing and the benefits when working out. Her blog post was aptly titled "Portable Pancreas." The funny thing about the post is that I had this picture ready to post on Monday (I ended up pushing it back a day because I didn't have time to finish the post). The story behind the picture: In early October I went on a rather long road trip.

Music Monday: Lauren Pritchard

My obsession with all things Broadway led me to a new musical discovery. Lauren Pritchard, who's actually from Tennessee. She was in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening, and now she's just released an album called Wasted in Jackson. So far, the hard copy is not available in the United States, but the digital is on iTunes and other music outlets.She's something different and I thought

World Diabetes Day

Well, I almost failed on NaBloPoMo....and on World Diabetes Day to beat all! But I'm here. And I'm praying that all of you had a wonderful day. Although none of my activities were diabetes oriented (living in the middle of nowhere leaves few options), I thought about it all day and have only just now gotten a chance to get a blog post up.In Nashville, which is over 2 hours from my house, they lit

One Last Chance Folks...

Tomorrow is World Diabetes Day. Click a few more times! Let's reach our 100,000 views. :)

A Lesson in Etiquette

Etiquette. It can be kind of a big word if your vocabulary is small. But no matter what words you use, MANNERS are something we should have been taught as children. Simple things, like not talking during church, or during a meeting. Not jumping line. Turning your cell phone off in a hospital, funeral home, or place of worship.But some people, it seems, never quite got the lesson. Including the 3

Happy Veteran's Day

Remember that freedom isn't free. Thank a member of the military.

Small Amounts

You've heard it before... "Every little bit helps." And it does. Just the other day I was picking up my prescriptions at Walgreens and picked up this JDRF shoe as well. Because even though I support people in the diabetes walks every year, every shoe purchased it another little bit toward a CURE.So, just remember, when you think you can do anything to help, if you can find $1 (check the change in

D-Blog Day 2010

6 Things I Want YOU To Know About Diabetes 1) No matter what type of diabetes a person has, it is NOT their fault!2) Most people with diabetes don't want pity. We want to teach. 3) Sometime we are in grouchy mood, just because we're in a grouchy mood...not because it is diabetes related. 4) Having an insulin pump doesn't mean I have "bad" diabetes. All diabetes is bad. 5) Low blood sugar doesn't

I Forgot

Yesterday I forgot it was Lancet Changing Day (a.k.a. Time Change!). Gasp! So, I did it this morning instead. I hope everyone had a Happy Lancet Changing Day... and if you forgot, like I did, GO DO IT NOW! :P

Already...

...hitting my pathetic attempts at blog posting. And it isn't even half-way through the month yet. Oh, boy. This should bode well for the rest of November, huh? :)One of my favorite bands, Sugarland, just put out a new CD a couple of weeks ago called The Incredible Machine. This is one of my favorite songs on the whole CD. But, like always, I pretty much love everything on the whole album.Listen

More Sugary Treats

These were for a friend's Halloween themed baby shower. If you notice, the cupcake papers have candy corn on them... so of course the icing had to match. :)This cake was made for a friend's church. They were celebrating Pastor Appreciation Day. I made the tiny fruit out of gumpaste. All the icing is buttercreme.The verse written on the cake is Galatians 5:22-23, which talks about the fruit of

Diabetes Questions

Back in May, when I was on my yearly trip to New York, I got to see A Little Night Music. At the time I saw it, the 2 leading ladies were Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. After I saw it, Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch took over those roles. I'm sad to say that I won't have the chance to see the show with the new cast before it closes in January, but I still enjoy reading about the

Theatre Sadness

As most of you know, I'm a huge theatre fan. I follow many different shows and websites, and several months ago there was news on a little girl named Shannon Tavarez. Shannon was 11 years old and had played Nala in The Lion King on Broadway. She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and was helping get the word out about lack of bone marrow donors, while they were searching for a bone marrow

Life for a Child

Diabetes Awareness Month brings a lot of attention to all types of diabetes. I'm proud to say that I'm part of an online community that works so hard to bring attention to diabetes year around. This disease is life altering and can be deadly.If a person has Type 1 diabetes they MUST have insulin to survive. No pill or type of diet will keep a person with Type 1 diabetes alive. Insulin has to be

Attempting NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo is this month. I think I’m going to attempt it this year. I did it year before last, and I hesitated to do it this year because I’m so busy right now. But, I decided to give it a go anyway. I was doing well by posting a couple of times per week there for a while, but I have started to slack off again, but I think NaBloPoMo will get me back into the blogging world.Will every post be

SAE it Loud!

Today is November 1st and the first day of Diabetes Awareness Month. This month is all about making people aware of this disease that so many of us deal with every day. Last week the lovely Sarah (a fellow Southern gal!) from over at Sugabetic came up with a wonderful idea. It is a fantastic way to get this entire month off with a bang. SAE it Loud! is Sarah's brain child. SAE (pronounced "say")

Just Because...

Just because we blog about diabetes, doesn't mean we have it all under control. Just because we don't share with you about a horrible "high" or "low" or "rollercoaster" day, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen sometimes. Just because we brush off a comment made about how "bad" our diabetes is, doesn't mean that living with diabetes isn't bad. Just because we act like we feel fine, doesn't mean we

Diabetes & My Christian Faith

I've been a Christian since I was 10 years old. Not to say I've always lived my life the way that Christ would have liked me to, but I accepted Him as my Savior shortly before my 11th birthday. He's been a constant in my life, even when I tried to avoid Him.Another constant in my life has been diabetes. I've actually had diabetes longer than I've been a Christian. Wow. I don't think I ever

Sweet Fun

Cupcakes. :) Spaghetti cupcakes. With strawberry jam "sauce" and Ferrero Roche chocolate "meatballs" and white chocolate "Parmesan cheese". Bumblebee from Transformers John Deer with the help of my totally awesome roommate who cut out the deer and the letters. :)

Wonderful People

Over and over again it's been shown how diabetes has a huge emotional effect on those affected. It's also been noted that the emotional aspect of diabetes is often overlooked. Diabetes can be a lonely, frustrating disease at times.But some of us have been lucky enough to stumble upon, and join the online community. Yesterday Kelly posted a wonderful blog about not being alone in our lives with

Kiddos

Okay, I know several of you have children out there. I also know that several of you have children around you. I have a question... is it normal for a two year old to be obsessed with me checking my blood sugar?? One of my closest friends and my godson have recently moved in with me. He just turned 2 in July. He doesn't have a lot of vocabulary yet, but I have noticed that every single time I get

Houston...We Have a Problem

Before I went to bed last night, I had to change my pump site. I didn't have enough insulin to make it through the night, and I knew it. I don't like to change my site before bed. Too many things can go wrong. So I changed the site at around 8:30. After that, I didn't eat anything, but I did a couple of small boluses. I was chasing a high from earlier in the day. Both boluses went through, no

Coming Soon...

Coming tonight... to a television near you! :)

Friday Meme!

Apparently this week is Invisible Illness Week. I found this meme over on Karen's blog and thought I'd "steal" it. :) I hope you enjoy.30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 Diabetes2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 1986.3. But I had symptoms since: at least a few months before my diagnosis.4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is:

Stangely Out of Place

The past couple of weeks, I kind of disappeared from the online community. Work and real-life were both getting to me. But, in addition to that, I was feeling overwhelmed by the online community. There are no amount of words that can possibly express how much I love the D-OC. You guys have been there for me when no one else could be. You are supportive, wonderful, and you keep me sane. I thank

Splitting the Difference

I have a very close friend who is a type 2 diabetic. Monday night we had our first Community Choir practice and she said to me, "My blood sugar was 137 this morning when I woke up. It's too high." Now most of you that are type 1 would LOVE to wake up with that number, but she's used to having numbers more in the 70s or 80s upon waking.I had one right back for her. "I woke up 65 this morning. My

Money, money, money

Money. Something that most of us don't have a lot of. Some are more blessed than others. This is true. But, when it comes to living with diabetes, money can be a serious issue. As most of us know, having money is important when it comes to living with diabetes (or any chronic illness, I would venture to guess). If you don't have money, you need fantastic health insurance. In the past I've talked

Apologies

I'm back....sort of. I've been working on finding inspiration for a couple of new blog posts. Lack of inspiration has been a major part of the reason I've been surprisingly quite in the online world. But, to help start my return to the online world.... I give you the funniest youtube video I've seen in a long time. :)

Endo Update

So I went to my endo's office on Wednesday. I was scheduled to see the Nurse Practitioner and the Dietitian. The day before they called to tell me that my dietitian wouldn't be there and wanted to know if I wanted to reschedule both appointments or come in for one and reschedule the other. I contemplated rescheduling them both, but I haven't had an appointment since April and I was curious to see

Fun with Friends

So, I decided to enter a cake in the county fair this year. I've never done it before. The prize money isn't really worth the money you put into it (effort aside!). But I had a couple of co-workers that encouraged me to try and my friend wanted to help out, so we got to work decorating cake dummies (a.k.a. Styrofoam pieces). The base was foam board that I glued black paper on, and my friend

Amazing Customer Service

About a month or so ago, I ordered a new box of CGMS sensors. I still had quite a few left, so I didn't really think about it again for a while. Then, last week I was pulling a new sensor out of my box and realized I had the sensor I was holding and one more. That's it. Well, full on panic mode sets in. I called MiniMed right then. I was on hold for a while (they apparently have a new computer

A Brave New World

So, I've not really been baking much of late. I haven't had anyone to really bake for. I've made a few tasty cakes (not the decorating kind, just the kind you eat for fun). But nothing worth photographing. But in the next couple of months I have several things on the list. So, be ready for more pictures. :)One of my oldest friends (we met the 1st day of kindergarten!) is having her second child

Endo appointment

I have a new appointment with my endo in just a couple of weeks. I am a little afraid (okay a LOT afraid) of what's going to happen at this appointment. I had every intention of losing some weight, getting tighter control in my blood sugars, and exercising more since my last appointment (in April). Yet, here I am, nearly 4 months later. My blood sugar is more out of control now than it has been

Writer's Block & Recommended Reading

Apparently I'm not the only one who's been dealing with it. But it's here. I've been so busy and distracted that I've not had time. And when I've had time, I've not had the inspiration. So, today I'm going to share a blog post with you that truly touched my heart this past week.Heidi, over at the D-Log Cabin (who I've had the joy of meeting with IRL on more than one occasion!) posted a truly

Cara-ology

Okay, I'm being a slacker today. I have no inspiration and it's been a rough week. So I'm posting a Meme today. This came from a tag on facebook by Missy. :) If you do this on your blog, let me know!Let others know a little more about yourself, re-post this as your name followed by "ology".***********FOODOLOGY***************What is your salad dressing of choice? - RanchWhat is your favorite

Music Monday: Needtobreath

Well, folks, another Music Monday is here. And I have a great group to share with you. :) In fact, I like their new album so much I've listened to it on repeat for the past several day. (I keep thinking I'll get tired of it. I don't.) Needtobreath. Yup, all one word. I am just recently discovering them, although they have been around for a while. The group is made up of two brothers and two of

Awesome Surprise

I love the D-OC. There are so many great people in this community and there have been so many times and so many examples of members stepping up to the plate to help others out, or just doing things for others for no reason.I was, once again, blessed by another member of our community this week. Colleen, over at Meanderings, sent me a message about a week ago requesting my address and this week,

Free Day

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I was only 4 years old. At that time, the doctors told my mother and father how lucky we were. How home blood sugar testing was a possibility, when only a few years earlier, it was an impossibility. How needles were smaller and less painful than only years earlier, when syringes were made of glass and needles needed to be sharpened. And how only a few decades

Favorite Baby-Sitter

Who was your favorite baby-sitter as a kid? I could name a couple that I loved. I think every kids has a favorite. However, that's not the kind of baby-sitter that I'm talking about. The baby-sitters I'm talking about are the members of The Baby-Sitters' Club. Anyone remember them? In 1986, Ann M. Martin published her first books in The Baby-Sitters’ Club Series. There ended up being hundreds of

Late Music & Guest Blogging

This Music Monday post quickly became a Music Tuesday post because of my crazy busy day yesterday...Liza Minnelli. Singer. Actress. Broadway great. Daughter of the great Judy Garland. Icon. Currently touring. One stop on her tour? Nashville. And I’ll be there. I spent an exorbitant amount of money for 2 tickets in the “nosebleed” section. Thankfully the nosebleed seats in Tennessee Performing

Diabetes Superheroes

I’ve been meaning to post about this for quite sometime. I’m a slacker, I’ll admit it. I even considered not posting about it at all because I waited so long. But then I realized it was too cool a thing to NOT post about. A while back (maybe a couple of months ago), Chris from over at Type 1 Tidbits started a cool blogroll. Being the awesome computer person that he is (blog designer? web designer

Theatre Thursday: Hello, Dolly!

Last week, in my quest to quench my theatre addiction (hey, cut me some slack, I’ve not seen a show since May!), I attended a local theatre production of Hello, Dolly! at the Cumberland County Playhouse. It’s a little bit of a drive for me, but it’s the closest theatre to my home. It also has good quality productions. When you can’t make it to a professional tour, or to New York and Broadway,

Amazed!

As I was doing my morning e-mail check yesterday, I noticed an e-mail from someone I didn't know. Typically I'm paranoid. But there were no attachments, so I opened it anyway. Turns out, I'm glad I did. The website NursingSchools.net has a blog. And on that, they have a post called 50 Best Diabetes Blogs. They are split up into different categories like Inspiring, News, Men, Women, and Social

Freak Out!

The other day I was changing clothes when I noticed that my insulin pump tubing was slightly pinkish. And I freaked out. Completely. My first thought was that I had blood in my tubing. This has never happened to me before, although I have read about it happening to others. I immediately starting pushing on my infusion site. No pain or irritability. Then I disconnected my tubing from my site and

Celebration!

There are only certain people who can truly understand what it’s like to live with diabetes. Only certain people who can truly understand what it’s like to love someone with diabetes. Only certain people who can truly understand what it’s like to be responsible for someone with diabetes. If you don’t live it, you can never really know.I’ve been blessed in that I fall into only 1 of these

Fantasy World

*I'm giving a disclaimer here....this is a semi-depressing post. Sorry ahead of time.*Diabetes shapes us in so many crazy ways. It becomes a part of us. And even though we may not like it, diabetes can guide the decisions that we make.I have my degree in elementary education. Due to circumstance beyond my control (i.e. failure to find a job in my field) I am working in social work. I got this job

Respect

I have expressed my love of music many times. I've also shared my love of all kinds of music with many of you. I am not terribly picky on music. To me, music is good if it touches a person. Some music touches more effectively than others. Sure, there are some types of music I favor more than others. And some that I try to avoid. But overall, I am a music lover for the sake of the story the music

Major Overhaul

On Saturday I decided to make some serious changes to my basal rates. I did it because I feel like I am still fighting highs all the time. I spike after breakfast and around 4 in the afternoon. I feel like I'm chasing highs on a regular basis and I haven't been having lows very often. Not that no lows is a bad thing....it's just that I think I'd be having more if my blood sugars were more

Healthy Eating

It's been proven over and over again, in study after study, that the poor are the most unhealthy people in our country, on average. Not because they are underfed. A look at the obesity rates of Americans will tell you we are all FAR from underfed. But from study after study, it has been shown that the worse your economic status, the less healthy you eat. Obesity runs higher in this group than

Imagination

Lately I've not written about my diabetes as much as I was. Mostly because diabetes has been knocking me around. Giving me up and down the road, so to speak. I shared a little with you all a few weeks ago, and I actually thought, after that, things were going to get back to normal.But, it turns out that I'll have a normal couple of days and then get right back to the crazy highs. Chasing, chasing

Withdrawls

Hi. My name is Cara, and I'm a Glee-addict. It's been almost a month since my last (new) hit. In order to make it through the day, I'm sharing this with you. May we all survive until the fall.

Nutella...Food of the Gods

Until about 2 years ago, I had never even heard of the wonder that is Nutella. A friend of mine who travels frequently had discovered it years ago and introduced me. I loved it. I didn't keep it around because it is so hard to find in a small town in the south where most people have never heard of it. But I have several fellow D-OC members who love Nutella. And one of them (hi, Elizabeth!) was

Stress Equals....

Yesterday was the last day of the month. For some of you, this means not a thing. For me, it means major deadlines and stress.And stress....well, that gets me this:My top line is set to alarm at 170. And these are my last 12 hours of my day.In conclusion, stress sucks.The End.

Repeat...Sort Of

A friend of mine had her lovely daughter's 7th birthday party this past week. They had been at my house when I was making the strawberry cake with strawberry icing for my nephew. M loved it. She proceeded to inform me that very day what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. :) I have no problems with this, as I normally make the cakes for both her and her younger sister. It is my gift to them

OCD

First off, I'd like to say that I know that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a serious condition. I don't have it, and I truly feel for those who are effected by it.Secondly, I'll say that there are certain aspects of my life where I can go completely OCD.Most of the time I'm a totally disorganized person. My apartment is almost never completely clean. My desk at work is often a disaster. My

Peel Me a Grape

Last week there was a small conversation happening on Twitter in regards to peeling grapes. Some people had never heard of peeling grapes. Others had. Personally, until a few years ago, I'd never heard of it. "Who'd want to peel a grape?" I thought to myself.And then I heard the song "Peel Me a Grape" by Diana Krall. Actually, the song is quite old and has been sung by several different people.

More Sugary Treats

Here are some of the things that I've been working on lately. Enjoy. Strawberry cake w/ strawberry icing at the request of my nephew.A birthday cake for a friend's fiance. He's a cop. Obviously. LOL The coolest thing was that he chain actually turned out like a chain. It moved and everything.A birthday/graduation cake for a friend's step-daughter. She loves muddin' (that's what we call it in the

What to do....

What to do when your favorite form of treating a low stops being sold in your town......Go out of town and buy another store out. :)

Winner!

As you know, I was having a little GIVE-AWAY here on my blog. The first ever. And with 27 entries, I may have to have more of them! :) I had several first time commenters and readers. Yay! I love it.So I wrote everyone's name down and put them in a "hat."And stirred them up. And picked one out.And it looks like the Carb Free Cupcakes are going to be making their way to Michael from The Diabetic's

Who Takes Charge?

I live in (and grew up in) a very economically depressed area. The very small town in which I live used to be a factory town. When NAFTA was happening, nearly every factory left town. Currently we have 2 that employ a very small amount of people. In my town there are very few jobs. I am one of the lucky ones. Not only do I have a decent job, I have a job with fantastic health insurance. I do okay

Protecting Myself?

I consider the D-OC my support group. There are so many of you out there who are my friends and the people I can talk to, complain to, and laugh with. You've each done something special for me. Some of you may not even know the ways that you've touched my life. That being said, we all know how much we love our Meet-ups. There's something special about seeing each other face to face. Have someone

Carb Free?

So "carb free" is a phrase we hear tossed around alot. Also "Low-Carb." But truth be know, most of us eat too many carbs.My weakness: Sweets. I have a sweet tooth. I'll admit it. It drives me crazy sometimes. But I love sweets. I know several of my fellow friends with diabetes also like sweets. A lot. A favorite that seems to resonate within the D-OC are cupcakes. There are so many of us who seem

Diabetes Can Take A Hike

For the past month my diabetes control has been crazy. I knew when I was on vacation that I would have some trouble, but usually within a couple of day after returning home, I'm right back to where I was before.Not this time. My blood sugars have been uncontrollable at times. Running so high that I ran on 120% basal for almost a week and was still rage bolusing. Any lows I had (and they have been

Mystery Recipe

As some of you may remember from Diabetes Blog Week, I am not a low carb person. But I'm also not anti-low carb either. If I find a recipe that I like, I make it. Carbs or no carbs. About a week ago I was thumbing through Diabetes Forecast Magazine. There were several recipes that caught my eye, but I tend to be lazy when cooking, so I look for simple recipes that won't take a lot of time or

Why I Love Live Theatre

I had a diabetes post that I was writing to be posted today, but after this morning's news about Rue McClanahan's death, I started thinking about all the people we've lost in recent years. As many have pointed out, Betty White is the only remaining "Golden Girl". In 2008, we lost Estelle Getty and just last year Bea Arthur passed away. Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty

The Confection Collection

As we well know, bags, purses, cases and the like that are specifically made for those with diabetes can be hard to find and/or afford. Some of them are majorly cute, but cost more (I think) simply because they are titled as "for diabetes supplies". Occasionally, I try to find bags and the like that aren't specifically for diabetes supplies, just to see if they would work for some of my stuff. Up

Happy Memorial Day

Please remember to thank a member of the military today. They and their families sacrifice so much for us. Several of our D-OC members have spouses in the military. If you can't thank a military person directly, thank a spouse. Cherise & Brandi are the first two members I think of. I know I'm probably leaving someone else out. If I am, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment and I'll get you added

Another Letter to Crystal Bowersox

I'm disappointed in the outcome of Idol. But the offer still stands. I'd still love to interview you. Sincerely, Cara

Caking Wednesday

So today is my birthday. I also share this day with the lovely Karen over at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes. She's turning 29 with me today. :) Happy Birthday Karen!And along the lines of birthdays, we usually have cake.This isn't my birthday cake, but it was one I made recently for the child of a friend. He's 7 and is obsessed with the Civil War. And military of any kind actually. He will sit an explain

My Open Letter to Crystal Bowersox

Dear Crystal, Tonight's the night. The finale. Honestly, you are the only reason I'm still watching this season. I would have quit long ago otherwise. Not that the contestants were talented enough; they were. The season's just kind of been boring. Except for you.From the first time they showed you, you've been a bright point in the show. You're different. You had a distinct sound. You sing the

American Idiot

When I first heard that there was a musical coming to Broadway that featured nothing but Green Day music, I called a good friend of mine, who I knew loved Green Day let her know we were going to have to plan a trip to New York. Then, after reading THIS review of the show, while it was still at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, I knew I had to see it when it came to Broadway.American Idiot is based on

D-OC NYC Meet-Up

A week ago today, I had the privilege of attending a meet-up in New York City. Since I am a total Broadway addict, I have been trying to make a yearly trip to New York. And since there are so many of my fellow bloggers, tweeters, and facebook friends in the area, I love getting to meet up with them.Last year, the wonderful Allison organized a meet-up for a bunch of us. And when she found out I

Dream a little dream - life after a cure

It's appropriate that this post would be set to post on the same day that I am going to be in New York meeting up with many other fellow diabetics. A cure. That illusive word that's been floating around in my world for 24 years. When I was diagnosed, they said "within 10 years". Yet, here I sit, sipping a juice box from another low blood sugar. I know most of us have thought about it. About how

Diabetes snapshots

Let's get moving

Exercise....love it or hate it? HATE IT! I was not born an athletic person. My idea of running involves something really scary chasing me. Or being late to something. Sports....well, let's just say the only sport I ever did with any amount of success (i.e. no major injuries) was swimming. And the whole no injuries thing that goes with swimming basically means I don't drown when I get in the

To carb or not to carb....

That is the question... (You all knew that was coming, right?) There are many mixed opinions on carbs, and how to deal with them in the life of a diabetic. All of those opinions are mine, of course. :P I go back and forth. People like Dr. Bernstein believe that you should consume very minimal amounts of carbs. Others believe that carbs can be consumed as long as insulin is given to cover it. I

Your Biggest Supporter

Living with diabetes requires support. Sometimes we don't want to ask for it. Sometimes we get too much of it. Sometimes we don't get enough. But support is very important. Family, friends, medical professionals; they are all play an important role in our diabetes management. After I got to a certain age, my friends and family pretty much trusted me to do what I should.And trusted that I knew

Making the low go...

Day 2 of Diabetes Blog Week. Making the low go. Sure, we all have our guilty pleasures. That ice cream or candy we eat when we're low and can "get away" with it. I try to keep that kind of stuff out of my house for the simple fact that I don't eat it when I'm low...I eat it all the time!One thing I try to keep on me and in my house at all times is juice boxes. They are quick, easy, and taste way

A day in the life . . . with diabetes

Welcome to Diabetes Blog Week! First post. First day. I'm going to be honest and say that most of these posts are being pre-written and set to post on the day they are supposed to. My excuse...I'm getting ready to go on vacation. I'll be busy getting ready and then Friday morning I'm off to New York City! My favorite city in the world. The lovely (and newly engaged) Allison has arranged a meet-up

Missed Anniversaries and a New Project

Well, I did it. I actually forgot something I have celebrated every year for the past 3 years...until this year. On May 1, 2006 I became an insulin pumper for the first time. I took my mother down to the CDE’s office with me because they suggested that I have someone else to drive, since I would basically be starting from scratch on basal rates. My mother was more than happy to go with me. That

Update on Tennessee Flooding

I just got off the phone with the Middle Tennessee chapter of JDRF. They wished for me to express their gratitude at the inquiries about those needing diabetes supplies. They also said that they have had NO calls or questions about people needing supplies at this time. (AMAZING! And wonderful!) But they did take my e-mail address and phone number, so I will be passing along any info I get, if

Update....

I've had a few question about the possibility of diabetics needing supplies in the Middle and West Tennessee areas. I currently don't know anything, but am in the process of finding out what I can. For now, I can offer you this info:Middle Tennessee Red Cross The Nashville Area Red Cross is in need of financial support to continue providing relief to victims of local disaster flooding. The

Sadness: Flooding in Tennessee

Typically, this is my music post. Today, I'm just going to share my feelings. As many of you may have heard, Tennessee was hit with record rainfall over the weekend. I'm fine, as is my family. Although we got a lot of rain, it was nothing compared to other areas and there was little to no flooding anywhere around me. Downtown NashvilleHowever this was not the case with many other parts of my

By the Glow of the Pale Pump-Light

I awaken to a shrill beeping sound. In my head, I know what it is. But I'm tired. I reach down and push the buttons on my pump to make it stop. Just like it was an alarm clock with a snooze button.In my sleep-hazed mind, I know I should look to see if it is informing me of a high or a low. I unclasp my pump from the waist band of my pajama bottoms and lay it on my stomach. Almost too tired to

Music Pick of the Week

This week's pick: Glee: The Music, The Power of MadonnaMy new motto: I wanna go live in Glee-land. Cause in Glee-land....you have cool things happen......like this:

I Wonder....

I wonder..... if people see me and think of me as the diabetic who's name is Cara, or as Cara who happens to have diabetesI wonder..... if people see me and think if I lost weight and exercised, my diabetes would go away. I wonder..... if people think of me as sick. I wonder..... if people pity me. I wonder..... if I'll end up with complications that will drastically alter my life.I wonder.....

Birthday Cuppies

Fourteen years ago, my life changed forever. I spent the first 15 years of my life with only a MUCH older brother in the sibling department. My half-brother was 19 years older than my and had already left the home when I was born. But fourteen years ago, as of Monday, I was blessed with a baby sister.Rachel and I are as different as night and day. With so many years between us, we often disagree.

Late Post on Endo Visit....

I went to the endo last Monday. I was supposed to post this last week. But sadly, my week was spent doing nothing but working and baking/decorating cakes. So there were no blogs. Sigh.I love my endo. I am a patient at Vanderbilt University's Diabetes Center. The office is huge. There are many doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, CDE's, etc. When I first transferred to this center, I was

gLee

Tomorrow night. I've been waiting for months for this. Now it's time.

New Creation, New Method

You all know I live in the South. :) And while many of the things you hear about the South are nothing but myth (YES, we have indoor plumbing. And shoes. And some of us even have college degrees! LOL), other things you may hear lean more toward being truth, than myth.One of those things (at least where I grew up) is the plethora of camouflage that takes residence in the closets of most of us in

Broken and Scraped

Yesterday was one of those days. You know the kind, right? The kind that makes you want to crawl in bed and suck your thumb and hold your blankie in the other? Yeah, that's the kind of day I had yesterday. It started out with knowing that my car needs new breaks. In fact, I need them YESTERDAY. My mechanic (i.e. my wonderful step-dad) is currently under the weather, so for now I'm driving my car

Life Choices

A few days ago, Lee Ann, over at The Butter Compartment, posted a blog about being in the minority of people who have chosen not to have children. As I read her blog post, I got fairly emotional and wanted to comment. But then I realized how much I had to say, so instead I talked with her and decided to post my own blog on this very sensitive subject. And while my ideas may vary some from Lee

Alarming

Sunday night I ate a semi-late dinner. I typically eat no later than 7:30, maybe 8:00. Sunday I got busy and wasn't really hungry. Most times like that I would just skip the meal altogether.This time, I didn't. Instead, I ate around 8:30. I bolused and by bedtime (around 11) I was clocking in fairly well in the mid 100s with some insulin still on board.I have had problems in the past with not

iPod Challenge: Part Deux

I hadn't done this in a while, so I thought I'd start it up again. A meme of sorts. :) Plus, I wanted to compare it to my list from last time. Oh, and just a disclaimer: I don't actually own an iPod. I have a Zune, which I love very, very much. It's just that everyone pretty much has an iPod. And I wanted a title that could be recognized.So, put your iPod (or other mp3 player) on shuffle and list

Mamma Mia!

Theatre Thursday is here again folks! Lately I've been to see several shows, so I should have a Theatre post for the next few weeks in a row.Back before Christmas my mother and I watched Mamma Mia!, the movie. We both thought it was thoroughly cheesy and we both loved it (If you know us, you'd know that both thoughts are completely possible at the same time...).Through my wealth of useless

My Adoption Story

I realized, in the past few weeks, that many of you don't know that I'm adopted. Some of you may. It comes up in my conversations (especially when relating to diabetes) quite a bit. Since Elizabeth Arnold, who I've gotten to know on Twitter, and more recently, in her new blog, is adopting, I thought I'd share my story with all of you.To save on confusion in my story, any reference to mom, dad, or

Dentists and Eye Doctors, oh my....

Today I had 2 different appointments. I set up my dentist and eye doctor on the same day to basically get them both out of the way. I was overdue for a dentist appointment and a little late for an eye doctor appointment. Getting them both in one day helps with work also. I chose to put the dentist appointment first because I knew, after eye dilation, that I would be useless for the rest of the

Choices, Choices, Choices...

I grew up in a really, really small town. Most of you would be amazed at how small my town really is. Until I was 8, we didn't even have a Wal-Mart. And when we got one, it was so small that they didn't build one any smaller. Ever.I remember when it opened. My dad and I went in and I headed (like I always did...and still do) to the stationary section. I have always been obsessed with pens and

My Latest Creation

I've not been caking much lately, but the next couple of months will have more due to several birthdays and holidays coming up. Here's the first of my new string of creations: Enjoy!

Elliott Yamin

Diabetes and Music Monday meet.Elliott Yamin was on American Idol a few years ago. He was one of my favorites and he finished third. He is also a Type 1 diabetic. I know a lot of people talk about how American Idol uses the back story to promote different people. Some people like it, some don't. You would think that having diabetes would make for a great story. But I don't recall hearing about

Wasting Money

Sometimes we waste money. No surprise there. We buy clothes we never wear, or make-up we never use. Or a CD or DVD we only watch once. I try not to do that very often. But sometimes it just happens. Even more, sometimes we buy things *gasp* we DON'T REALLY NEED! Ekkk!I did just that last week. And my frivolous prize came in the mail today. Gratefully on a day when I really needed some retail

Diabetes and Fear

I know there are a lot of people who sit around and worry and fret over their future in relation to diabetes. What if I loose a limb? What if I have to have an amputation? What if my kidneys fail? While these are all very real possibilities, they are by no means something I sit around thinking about. If I did, I'd worry myself straight into the grave long before diabetes ever even got it's chance

Phantom Pains and Diagnosis Dates

I've been off the blogging for a few days because I had company in town. Originally she was only supposed to stay for a long weekend, but it turned into a long week because she lives in the northeast and was snowed OUT of home. I loved having company, but it made it hard to find time and inspiration to blog. But I'm back today with two seperate topics. First up: Phantom Pains. You know how people

This Date In History

February 5, 1986. I'm sure there were lots of things going on in the world. I don't know what they were. I'm sure there were treaties being signed, or rock stars dying, or someone famous that was arrested. Maybe not. Who knows. But February 5, 1986 was a day that my world, and the world of those around me, changed forever. After being very sick for a while, having nightmares, drinking water til

TMI Post-Men, You've Been Warned

Okay, as most of you know I'm typically not a person who writes highly emotionally charged posts like I did on Sunday night. I was just feeling very frustrated and highly annoyed. However, it now makes sense. My monthly visitor came today. And as all of us women know, PMSing is one of the most emotionally charged times of our month.Over the weekend I was fighting horrible high blood sugars. I

Variety in Life

I am a person who tends to like things to stay the same. I hate to move. I hate things to be "sprung" on me. I like plans. I tend to eat the same things every time I go out to eat (although that might have something to do with knowing what certain foods do to my blood sugars...).But, I do like all different kinds of thing. Routine is good. Pigeonhole-ing yourself is not.I like all kinds of movies

Snow

The Tennessee version of a snow storm: Final amount: around 6"For us, that was a blizzard. :)

Positoovity

Today I'm gonna mix a little music and a little diabetes. :) Since it's my designated Music Monday, I figured I'd get 2 in one.Earlier today Allison blogged about the choice of words. Basically, how we see ourselves as diabetics (or people with diabetes). Her question was "Suffering from, or living with?" I whole-heartedly believe that I live with diabetes. In my comment on her blog, I compared

Careful Consideration

After careful consideration, I deleted one of my former posts today. It was titled Dr. Bernstein and was originally posted 11/27/07. It was one of my most commented on posts. There were 14 approved comments on that post when I checked today.I had mentioned a few weeks ago, that I was dealing with a lot of spam comments on my blog lately. It had gotten to the point that it was literally driving me