Carneval on the Dance floor!

Here is another one of my creations it took a little while to finish them all since every girl received a different top... I did have some valued help and the costumes came out looking amazing and full of life! 

And 'my girls' are still the best!

Dance Show Formation

Disco Small Group

Disco Duos

In Europe the dance form 'Disco' is very popular among children and teens - here is a small selection of what I have created for some great dancers and wonderful young women.

LCHF "Pancakes"

Like pancakes as much as I do? I am not a huge fan of the American style pancakes but like the Swedish style pancakes much better, I think you refer to them as crepes. I like mine with berry jam/preserves and whipped cream.

But as with many foods we have gotten addicted to, regular pancakes (American or Swedish) are not healthy. I am not talking about what we put on our pancakes, I am talking about what we put IN them. Wheat, wheat, and wheat... Did I mention that wheat is our biggest culprit when it comes to a healthy life style?!

You see... wheat is something so many companies promotes as healthy - whole wheat and heart health here and there, making it even more dangerous than sugar. Why, because people actually believe that whole wheat is healthy! I hear it all the time, and I was once, not long ago, one of those people too... Wheat is NOT healthy people, not even a little bit.

So back to my pancakes. Here is how you make some delicious pancakes without wheat:
For about 4 normal size pancakes:
2 eggs
1/2 pack of Cottage cheese (DO NOT PICK ANY LOW or NON FAT SELECTIONS)
a bit of salt
2-3 table spoons of Spelt flower

Mix it in a bowl - heat up a frying pan - add real butter - when melted add a few spoons full of pancake mix and flatten a bit to make a pancake, don't make them too large as they may be harder to flip if you do - flip to other side once firm - done.

Serve with warm mixed berries and whipped cream or anything else that is on the OK list.

By the way - I am not taking any credit for this recipe... just found it and thought it was very good!  

Motivation and Self discipline

Sometimes I think motivation and self discipline is something you have to go and get and hang it around your neck to make sure you won't loose it...

I have lost mine more times than I can count. Some days it is just GONE: Plans I make for tomorrow don't seem as fun the next day, goals I put up for myself don't seem that important after a while, and projects I start like a rocket ship may never become a finish product - ever...

I am off course a dreamer and sometimes I believe that my dreams will come true as long as I dream harder! For real! Some people have told me that it is all due to the Capricorn in me... But I don't know. Over the last day or two I have been reading a lot about zodiac signs and even if I am born Capricorn I cannot shake the feeling that I am an Aries too. I truly believe that we can be different signs in one person no matter when we are born but the question now is - is the combination of being a Capricorn and an Aries a good one????

And can I blame the lack of discipline and loss of interest if I don't see results fast to my zodiacs?? Or is it just me?

Why is it so fun to start something but not as fun to finish it? And why do I reach such a great satisfaction when I do finish something and get great reviews if I only finish a small part of what I start?! Does any of this make sense?? I am at a loss here... When do I win? When will I realize that seeing the project to its end is the better thing for me, and when will I realize that a project has to be started with respect to what has to be done, and not the satisfaction of dreaming about the finish product?

Am I analyzing myself too much right now????

Taco Pie a la LCHF

If you are like me you LOVE taco pie...

But now when entering a world of no grains there is also a world without pie crust! So here is my little solution...
Make the meat with the taco mix just as normal.
Chop one red bell pepper (or if you prefer another kind)
Chop some tomatoes... 1-2 is normally good.
Mix the pepper and tomatoes with some sour cream and mayonnaise (make it creamy)
Slice some red onions for the topping, if you like red onions that is

Now... there are two ways:

Cheat a little:

Buy the 'low carb tortilla' cut them into smaller round pieces to fit into a muffin tray; stuff each little circle into each muffin cup; fill with the meet mix, top with the pepper-tomato-sour cream-mayo-mix; onion, and sprinkle some cheese on top... put in oven until cheese has melted.

Cheat nothing:

Make the same as above but put the meat, sour cream mix, and cheese in a halved bell pepper and put it in the oven. You will have to leave it in for a bit longer so that the bell pepper gets a little bit soft, it might be a good idea to put the cheese on it a bit into the baking.

Serve it with guacamole, and if you can make it from scratch - the better it is for you!

The picture is not the most beautiful picture... but you get the point at least

First Project

I started my first project this weekend. But I changed my mind probably 10 times along the way - making the whole process a bit longer than what I had planned on.

I have also realized that I have to get some ergonomic help when it comes to my sewing... My shoulders are killing me!!! What are you guys using to help with proper position while sewing? It will have to be something easy and nothing big since I live pretty small with my hubby.

Well, my first project is underway and my ambition is to have the first 4 sizes done by next weekend. My first is a silky light retro dress for baby girls NB-24 mounts. Hopefully it will be liked.

Meet Candie

During my Clothing design training years I slowly started to develop a dream, a dream to keep on doing what I loved to do - and that was first and most to create. I have never seen my self as an artist, but maybe I should? To me; I am just me... Nothing more, nothing less. But I do love to create!

I started out falling in love with the romantic dresses, beautiful colors, and flowing fabrics when I first started but where I come from that is not something that is needed all that much. So my designing and sewing stepped away from it a bit and entered another one of my favorites ~ the dancing industry! It was a natural step for me as I was also teaching and choreographing dance, (and I still do). So creating fun and crazy dance costumes became something natural for me and I kept doing it for many, many years.

The colors, glitter, and fabrics of the dance industry has now drawn me into something else - something that I for so many years didn't know I was interested in, or realized that I had talent for: Children! I love to create for children! Our Princes and Princesses - our future! They love the colors that I love, they love the stuffed animals that I love, and they love to play - just like me! :D

It is a perfect match! And I feel so happy about finding this love inside of me.

Originally I named my designs Cordelia but when I started to think about doing children screen prints the name Cordelia didn't fit. It wasn't as playful as Candie Ink...

Both names: Cordelia and Candie comes from my wonderful dog. Her name in the family tree is Cordelia but we never called her that - to us she was always Candie and it feels nice to be able to bring my crazy loving dog into my new venture and projects. Unfortunate she passed away many years ago - but she is still here with me.

Thank you for visiting my Blog.

With my Warmest Regards,
Helena Mathis

Candie is enjoying the lake shore

I am on my way

Life after the holidays have been treating me well. I was bursting out of my clothes after a wonderful holiday full of chocolate... it was delicious!

As a follow up on my 2010 objectives I am doing very well in implementing the LCHF as a way of life rather than a diet. This means that I will have a small potato or a piece of cake every now and then. I am  not letting myself go nuts. I am a person that wants what I cannot have - so if I tell myself that I cannot have cake - all I want is cake.Off course this is a much slower approach to reaching my goal, but also a friendlier way (for my mental health that is). I will not beat my self up if I do have a taste here and there. I only live once - right?!

I just have to learn to differ between a craving because I am hungry and a craving because it is that time of the month... I have been doing well on that part but it is not easy all the time. I have found that it is better for me to bring more food than I need in a day than too little because if I am hungry I will get a bad craving and there are plenty of vending machines around here... They should banned those things!

So with that said my goal is still to loose 13 kg or 28 lbs (from my starting point). My goal weight is 65kg / 143 lbs. I know it is going to be crazy hard once I start reaching the 68 kg / 150 lbs area but it will just have to take time. Time is all I have right?! AND I WILL GET THERE!! There is no doubt in my mind that I will. I am such a different person today than 4 months ago - I feel strong! It feels that I could overcome anything right now.

Along the line with living a healthier and happier life I have also started to do some weight lifting. I am mainly focusing on my upper body and my primary agenda is to work on my posture. I sit in the office all day and get that horrible posture while sitting by the computer all the time. I want to strengthen my back and stretch my chest out so it will make me look a little bit better. Back exercises, biceps, triceps, abs, butt, and shoulders are my target areas to accomplish this. My legs get plenty of a work out in my dance classes.

Vitamin D - Right vs Wrong

Sometimes I can't really find words for what I want to say and that is when I publish something that someone has already said before me.

This wonderful Vitamin D post is written by the Author of the Heart Scan Blog; Dr William Davis:

Monday, January 11, 2010

Getting vitamin D right

Vitamin D is, without a doubt, the most incredible "vitamin"/prohormone/neurosteroid I have ever encountered. Frankly, I don't know how we got anything accomplished in health pre-D.

Unfortunately, people I meet rarely take their vitamin D in a way that accomplishes full restoration of vitamin D blood levels. It really isn't that tough.

Here's a list of common tripping points with vitamin D:

"I take vitamin D: 1000 units a day."

This is probably the most common mistake I see: Taking a dose that is unlikely to yield a desirable blood level. (We use 60-70 ng/ml of 25-hydroxy vitamin D as our target.) Most men and women require 6000 units per day to achieve this level. There is substantial individual variation, however, with an occasional person needing much more, a rare person requiring as little as 1000 units.

"I bought some vitamin D on sale. They were white tablets."

Time and again, patients in my office who initially have had successful vitamin D replacement, despite being reminded that only oil-based forms should be taken, switch to tablets. While they initially showed a 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood level, for instance, of 67 ng/ml on 8000 units per day with an oil-based capsule, they switch to a tablet form and the next blood level is 25 ng/ml. In other words, tablets are very poorly or erratically absorbed.

I have had people use tablets successfully, however, by taking their vitamin D tablets with a teaspoon of oil, e.g., olive oil. Oil is necessary for full absorption.

"I'm going to Florida. I'll stop my vitamin D because I'm going to lay in the sun."

Wrong. 90% of adults over 40 years old have lost the majority of their ability to activate vitamin D in the skin. A typical response might be an increase in blood level from 25 to 35 ng/ml--a 10 ng increase with a dark brown tan.

There is an occasional person who, with sun exposure, increases blood levels substantially. This can occur in both fair-skinned and dark-skinned people, though I've never seen it happen in an African-American person. The occasional person who maintains the ability to convert vitamin D with sun exposure, or young people, should seasonally adjust their vitamin D dose, e.g., 6000 units winter, 3000 units summer, or some other regimen that maintains desirable blood levels. You can see that monitoring blood levels (we check levels every 6 months for the first 2 years) is crucial: You cannot know what your vitamin D needs are unless you assess 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels.

"I drink plenty of milk. I don't think I need to take vitamin D."

Oh, boy. This is so wrong on so many levels.

First of all, no adult should be drinking plenty of cow's milk. (A discussion for another day.) Second of all, cow's milk averages 70 units of vitamin D, often the D2 form (ergocalciferol), per 8 oz. Even if the FDA-mandated 100 units per day were present, an average adult dose of 6000 units would require 60 glasses of milk per day. Can you say "diarrhea"?

Likewise, other food sources of vitamin D, such as fish (300-400 units per serving) and egg yolks (20 units per yolk), are inadequate. This makes sense: Humans are not meant to obtain vitamin D from food, but from sun exposure over a large body surface area. And this is a phenomenon that is meant to occur only in the youthful, ensuring that nature takes its course and us older folks get old and make way for the young (i.e., unless we intervene by taking vitamin D supplements).

"My doctor said that my vitamin D blood level was fine. It was 32 ng/ml."

Let's face it: By necessity, your overworked primary care physician, who manages gout, hip arthritis, migraine headaches, stomach aches, prostate enlargement, H1N1, depression, etc., is an amateur at nearly everything, expert in nothing. Nobody can do it all and get it right. Likewise vitamin D. The uncertain primary care physician will simply follow the dictates of the laboratory form that specifies "30-100 ng/ml" as the "normal" or "reference range." Unfortunately, the laboratory often quotes population distributions of a lab measure, not an ideal or desirable level.

To illustrate the folly of population distributions of a measure, imagine you and I want to know what women weigh. We go to a local mall and weigh several thousand women. We tally up the results and find that women weigh 172 lbs +/- 25 lbs (the mean +/- 2 standard deviations). (That's true, by the way.) Is that desirable? Of course it isn't. Population average or population distribution does not necessarily mean ideal or desirable.

"My husband's doctor said he should take 4000 units per day. So I just take the same dose."

That would be fine if all adults required the same dose. However, individual needs can vary enormously. A dose that is grossly insufficient for one person may be excessive for another. Once again, vitamin D dose needs can be individualized by assessing 25-hydroxy vitamin levels in the blood.

"I don't need to take vitamin D. I already take fish oil."

I suspect this mistaken belief occurs either because people confuse fish oil with cod liver oil, which does contain some vitamin D. (Cod liver oil is not the best source of vitamin D, mostly because of the vitamin A content; also a discussion for another time), or because they've heard that eating fish provides vitamin D. However, fish oil capsules do not contain vitamin D unless it is added, in which case it should be prominently and explicitly stated on the label.

"I don't have to take vitamin D. It's summer."

For most people I know, if it's a bright, sunny July day, where are they likely to be? In an office, store, or home--NOT lying in the sun with a large body surface area exposed. Also, most people expose no more than 5-10% of surface area in public. I doubt you cut the grass in a bathing suit. Because of modern indoor lifestyles and fashion, the majority of adults need vitamin D supplementation year-round.

I advise everyone that gelcap vitamin D is preferable. Some, though not all, liquid drop forms have also worked. Take a dose that yields desirable blood levels. And blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D are ideally checked every 6 months: in summer and in winter to provide feedback on how much sun activation of D you obtain.

If your doctor is unwilling or unable to perform vitamin D testing, fingerstick vitamin D test kits can be obtained from Track Your Plaque.

http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/getting-vitamin-d-right.html

TKO

I found this with help from a friend on the Yasmin Survivor Forum; It feels like I just got hit in the face, fell on my back, and are trying to breath, all at the same time:

First of all for those of you commenting on birth control, you all need to understand birth control effects every woman differently by age and by already mental illnesses that are present prior to taking birth control. So, to tell people not to take this because of your experiences, does not mean it will be the same for someone else. Not only that, it seems people do not give it enough time to work. You cannot take it for only a month and expect it to be normal to your body right away. It takes time for your body to adjust to a birth control pill due to hormones in it. I used to start birth control with orthotricyclin. The first day I got very nauscious and threw up. The throwing up went on for a couple of weeks on that brand. Then, my periods were lasting for 2 weeks. My Dr. put me on micrette a generic brand with a lower dose. I still had the same problem and then weight gain. I decided to get off birth control all together because I did not like the side effects. I'm now 28 and realize the not good idea of not having pregnancy prevention back up. I finally got back on birth control and my Dr. put me on Yasmin. I am day 1 starter . I have not had any side effects except tiredness the 1st day. I'm clear of side effects for now and I know I'm in the clear due to the fact my past experiences of side effects on other brands of BCP were immediate. Never had I experienced depression or anger issues on any birth control pill. And honestly, it's not by the cause of birth control. It's by what is already an issue with woman, not the pill causing it. I spoke to my Dr. about this because it was a concern of mine based upon reviews of this brand. He told me just that, it's not the pill it's woman that already have issues and it's just showing because of what's really going on in their lives at the time and they are blaming the pill. They might not have had unusual stress before that time frame. They decide to blame the pill because they feel it had started due to taking the pill when really the problem was present before taking it. PMS effects everyone differently as well. I never had PMS symptoms until my later 20's and that was on the pill or off the pill. Periods change frequently. You may have a normal period without cramps, PMS, etc and then the next few you do. It's your body getting older. And when you get older your body changes as well as your hormones. Plus, woman older in their 30's are advised not to take the pill. Vision problems are not related to the pill. It's related to something else. More than reality it's an allergy.

So instead of blaming a pill, you need to ensure it's not related to another problem first.
I have not had any anger, any vision, any weight gain, or other side effects since I've been on Yasmin.

Hope I helped anyone.

You can find the real posting here 

I know this may not be a big deal for many of you... but the way I have suffered from Yasmin... this hurts. Off course everyone has a right to an opinion and not all women suffer from taking birth control pills, but some words just hurts... 

Happy 2010

It's been a while; Christmas has passed with all the crazy shopping, stress and decoration. Champagne was consumed along with getting a new years kiss...

I spent my holiday in Sweden with my friends and family - I ate everything I wanted, I drank everything I wanted, and I basically did whatever I wanted... It was a great time but always too short...

Me eating and drinking whatever I wanted resulted in me being back to square one when it comes to my weight... but I am for the first time not freaking out about it; I know I will succeed this time! My husband after seeing my friends and how they have changed based on eating according to LCHF is now following my lead. He is off course still picky but is cooperating. Doing this together is going to make it much easier I think. And as long as I can keep bringing lunch with me to work I will never get the cravings of having to go out and buy something that is on the "don't eat" list. And that will make a big difference both in weight loss and in energy.

Since I am still half living in central European time and half eastern US time I even wake up to have breakfast before going to work. That is also something that makes everything much easier and nicer. I think I will have to make it into a habit and not just luck.

For now it has been different versions of two eggs in the morning and for lunch I have had my favorite Greek yogurt: Fage (the original, not any low-or non-fat versions). Fage contains: 20g fat; 6g carbs; 14g protein so it really fills you up! I mix in 4C/Crystal light (half a pack) for flavor even if I am not totally satisfied with the long list of chemicals it is in each dose, and I crush some almonds too and mix it in. For a snack I usually eat some cheese and nuts, and sometimes I have a diet coke as well. For dinner I make something warm for both my husband and I - I think I will start to post some recipes and pictures of it and hope that I can inspire some of you.

Every year I make a new years resolution, most of the time it is just because you "should" but this year I feel different about things.
I want to make LCHF a way of life and not a diet
I want to start selling my baby clothes that I have been designing behind closed doors
I want to start and maybe even finish my book about the perfect woman
I want to finish what I start

But most of all I want to be an inspiration to all of you out there that anything is possible.

Humm... I just noticed a big misstake in what I just wrote... what the heck do "I want" mean??? Do I think this will be handed to me without me putting an effort to it??? I must change it to:

I will make LCHF a way of life and not a diet
I will start selling my baby clothes (do you have an idea of where I should do this?)
I will start my book about the Perfect Woman (and maybe even finish it this year)
I will finish what I start

But I do wish that all that can result in me being a good inspiration for you out there. But if you didn't like me before you probably won't like me in the future either, and that is OK.

Happy New Year from me and my husband!

Did I ever mention Vitamin D?

Dr. Mercola is explaining it for us... it is really just this simple - I promise
To get the full story posted with this video go to:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/03/How-to-Prevent-the-Flu-Easy-as-1-2-3.aspx

Dr. Mercola also shares this:
According to the CBS News study, when you come down with chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other "flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza at most, 17 percent of the time, and as little as 3 percent! The other 83 to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or bacteria.

My simple and short answer for what is causing a cold or flu has always been that it’s due to an impaired immune system. That’s still true. However, research has confirmed that “catching” colds and flu may be a symptom of an underlying vitamin D deficiency! Less than optimal vitamin D levels will significantly impair your immune response and make you far more susceptible to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.Although there are many ways you might end up with a weakened immune system, the more common contributing factors are:

• Vitamin D deficiency, as previously mentioned
• Eating too much sugar and too many grains
• Not getting enough sleep
• Insufficient exercise
• Inadequately managing emotional stressors in your life
• Any combination of the above 

In order to prevent the flu, children and adults need 35 IU of vitamin D per pound of body weight. So, for example, a child weighing 57 pounds would need 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D.

Adults typically need an average of 5,000 IU per day—but some adults have to take 20,000 to 30,000 IU daily to get their vitamin D level up to optimal levels. Exactly how adults absorb and process vitamin D so differently is still somewhat of a mystery, so the only way to know if your vitamin D level is therapeutic and nontoxic is by having your blood tested.

Thank you Dr Mercola!!!

Another point of view:

The perfect woman can be described in bullet points... but does it make her real??
This is a gathering of how a man describes the perfect woman:

- Always trying to please
- Speaks 3 languages
- Loves me, just me
- Celebrate each Monet
- A woman is a great creation and nothing can be added or expected from her; she was best, she is best, and will be best forever
- The ideal, or perfect, cannot be described in certain-reasonable terms; the closest facsimile to perfection is not the idea, not the qualified or quantified, it is the actual in the sense that perfection is a living character. The notion of perfection is rooted in free form sense, natural function sense, expressions of living by life.
- Perfection may be an allowance for beauty, for if there is to be a beauty of any one, there is a beauty of all.
- The masterpiece, woman, the variety of each and all, is one of my favorite things about being a man.
- Loves chocolate
- Sex is basic but passion more resolved and satisfying
- Definitely curvy – not a stick like the sorority girls I keep seeing around
- When she tells me she loves me I ask myself why
- All class in public and a vixen in the bedroom
- Doesn’t let the bounds of society trap her into being something she is not
- She likes to wake me up in the morning with sex and scratch my back in the evening before bed
- If she has had a mental illness, she has been treated for it and it is not noticeable
- Prefer tea to coffee
- She embodies every aspect of the perfection I have long desired, wished for, discovered within myself, sometimes ignored before I later realized, and so far forth.
- Naked she is stunning
- The curve of her breasts fits fully into my hands
- The perfect woman can explain herself to a man and make them understand
- Her favorite animal is dolphins and she likes dogs
- A great organizer but able to be comfortable operating in total chaos
- Wants sex as much as I want sex
- Who loves me, just as I am, with all my weaknesses, my flaws, my quirks and allows me to love her, just as she is, with all her weaknesses, her flaws, her quirks.
- Who is strong where I am weak
- I would like for you to be the height of the wind and the weight of a dream
- Run with me naked under the rain while holding my hand

The Perfect Woman!

I have decided to start working on one of my dreams - I want to write a book! And I want to write a book about women; how crazy we are and how desperately we are trying to be a figure of our imagination. How complicated we make things and how much we love and hate ourselves... I am no different than the rest of you out there so I will have no problems at all with coming up with stories that would only confirm the fact that we are a little nuts - sweet but nuts ;)

But I need your help - I need some back up facts. Something to help me get ideas from... so I wonder if all of you women out there could help me by answering these three questions (I will NOT publish your comments).

1. What ability/quality/characteristic do you wish you had, and why? 
2. Which one of your habits do you like the least, and why?
3. What ability/quality/characteristic are you most proud of, and why?

I will be you forever thankful for helping me with this.

Breast Cancer

Boobies!
We all love them, don't we?!

For me they are a part of me and I could not imagine life without them. They have given me great moments and probably also gotten me in trouble... ;)

I think that we need to shed a light on the boobies all months of the year and not only during the breast cancer awareness month (October). So here is something I designed... and my question is would you or someone you know be offended by seeing a guy wearing a t-shirt with any of these prints?

I haven't suffered from breast cancer myself but know many who has and I don't feel that this should offend anyone but I am a very open minded person too so I don't know if my feelings could be taken as a norm or not when it comes to this. It all comes down to that we all love boobies and that we all need to support breast cancer research! Right?!?!

So what do you think??