There are so many weight loss supplements out on the market that I don’t know anything about. I know some of them are not safe. It’s important for anyone wanting to take diet pills to research and study for themselves about any possible side effects. They need to discuss this with their doctor and make sure that what they’re wanting to take is safe for them, whether it’s generic Phentermine or whatever. A person’s health should always be the top priority!

Our daughter and s-i-l gave me a great book for part of my Mother’s Day gift. It’s called The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide by Jeff Cox, published this year. Talk about an eye opener, I’ve read a little about genetically modified food crops (GMO), but this book goes into detail. Now, I’m really concerned about what kind of weird foods we might be eating. It’s very concerning to think that we might be eating foods that could be damaging to our health.

• In 2001, a genetically modified corn crop contained a gene which produced “aprotinin” which is a “trypsin inhibitor,” known to cause pancreatic disease in animals. (Pollen can spread and turn non-GMO plants offspring into GMO plants.)
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• Another genetically altered corn crop produced a glycoprotein found on the surface of two strains of HIV and “simian immunodeficiency virus.” When this gets into the human blood stream, it kills white blood cells. The U.S. ordered this crop destroyed, but it had contaminated another 155 acres of corn which also had to be destroyed. (My question is how many other crops were contaminated?)

• In the U.S., genetically modified foods are not allowed to be labeled!

I’ve just started reading this book, so I will probably be sharing more info later.

Advantage Rent A Car is going green! They are helping environmentally conscientious travelers by committing to having a fleet of 100% fuel efficient vehicles by the end of 2010. They are committed to going green and are the first rental car company to do so. And the great thing is that they have great rates on a car rental with rates starting at just $19.99/day. Check to make sure this offer is available in your area and be sure to book early for best selection.

Remember if you are planning to rent a car when you travel, check out Advantage for low prices whether you’re going to sun or ski!

Happy Mother’s Day…at least there’s two hours left. We went to visit our daughter, s-i-l, & Baby J and had a wonderful weekend. Our daughter graduated with her master’s degree, and we’re very proud of her. Baby J is crawling and pulling up, so he was the center of attention most of the time. We never lack for entertainment!

I heard “Things Mothers Say” on KLTY radio. Let me share with you:

• “Can’t” means “Won’t” (a friend told me yesterday that her mother said that, too, all the time when she was growing up)
• Pretty is as pretty does.
• Pretty girls are a dime a dozen - get an education!
• Anything worth having is worth waiting for!

Here are some my mother-in-law said to my husband while he was growing up:

• Wash your neck and ears.
• If you act as good as you look, then you’ll be OK.
• Pick up your room.

I asked our son and daughter if they could remember anything I said, and they couldn’t. Actually, our daughter, “C,” said she’d have to think.

Are there any sayings you would like to share?

#1. How do you make chicken salad?

I haven’t made chicken salad in a while, and I’ve been so busy this week that I haven’t had time to find my recipe. Mine had grapes in it. Here’s one from All Recipes.com that I would like to try: Gourmet Chicken Salad
#2. Fast food chicken. What fast food restaurant makes the best chicken?

We really like Chick-Fil-A’s chicken sandwich on a whole wheat bun.
#3. What’s your favorite way to eat chicken?

Just about any way. We eat a lot of chicken, so I like variety.
#4. Share a recipe using chicken or take a picture of a chicken dish.

Here’s a recipe for Texas Two Step Picante Chicken (Weight Watchers Recipe)

Here’s what you need:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups picante sauce
• 3 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. Dijon Mustard

Mix picante sauce, brown sugar and mustard thoroughly. Place chicken breasts in a sprayed 9 x 9 dish. Pour picante mixture over chicken and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Sometimes we get tired of a room’s decor and want to update it. This can be done in various ways, either by painting the walls, changing the color scheme, or maybe by completely redoing the room with new furniture and everything. In the case of new furniture, it’s good to look around and check out a furniture catalog before making the final choice. Whenever a room is updated, it looks fresh and inviting!

Let me tell you about a museum we really enjoyed! If you are traveling through Illinois, let me recommend stopping at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. It opened in April 2005 and is a world-class museum and library. The museum “communicates the amazing life and times of Abraham Lincoln in unforgettable ways.” It truly is an unforgettable museum!

In the Plaza, which is the central hub of the museum, you and your family can have your picture taken with Abraham Lincoln and his family. The life-size figures stand in front of the White House portraying the Lincoln family shortly after their arrival there in 1861. We took pictures of our family with the Lincoln family, and that was fun!

This is truly a fun and fascinating museum to visit. The mistake we made was not allowing enough time to tour the whole museum. There is so much to see and do, so I would recommend allowing several hours for your visit. They also have a Cafe which is open from 9-5. We ate lunch there and enjoyed it. Or if you just need a break for a snack, the Cafe is a nice place to rest and relax. Click here for more info.

When our daughter was in high school, one of her best friends who is deaf was over at our house a lot. In fact, many times we would have a whole group of kids over at our house to watch a movie. Or instead of having four at the supper table, we might have six, seven, or eight. (I learned to cook extra if I thought there was a chance extra kids might be there.) On movie nights, it was vital that we had closed captioning so that our daughter’s friend could understand the movie, too. It was wonderful to have that available so we could all enjoy the movie together!

If anyone has something they would like closed captioning added to, there are people at a company called Video Caption Corporation who can do that. That is really cool!

I didn’t lose any weight last week and actually gained a pound although my eating was pretty much the same. One thing different was that I had a horrible chest cold all last week and I’m still not completely over it yet. Needless to say, I did not feel like walking and didn’t walk at all last week.

This proves how important walking is for me. Today, I did walk for 25 minutes, so hopefully I will increase the time and frequency now that I’m starting to feel better.