My new Diabetes supply case.

    Hey everyone! This post is to review the small Vera Bradley Cosmetic bag I got today. I got a great deal on it on Ebay. I only gave $12.59 for it and they retail at $22.00 so I was thrilled with the deal I got! It is brand new for that price, not used. Most people who read this review will have come here knowing I'm diabetic as they know me on Twitter but for those of you who randomly find this be advised that I'll be reviewing it as in how it will work for carrying all the things we diabetics carry all the time, not how it works for makeup and etc.

   I am not a person who uses the black cases that blood testers come in for two reasons. 1: They don't hold everything we need and 2 they are really ugly and plain. I'm a girly girl who likes pretty things and my most common type of case is small makeup/cosmetic cases. If you look at another recent post on here you'll see that a few months ago I bought a polka dot case to add to my collection and I have used it a lot. Its big enough for my testing supplies and a quick sugar source. I do, however, like the idea of having a case that is big enough to hold all the supplies I need to carry in one place so it can be moved from bag to bag and keep it easier to keep track of everything. I think it is a very good idea to carry an extra pump site and reservoir (for pump users) but I have not regularly done it in the past.
   I have already different times eyed the Vera Bradley cosmetic bags. Not only are they cute but they have a plastic lining which for some like me who tosses used test strips in is a pretty cool feature. My cosmetic cases usually get dotted with blood on the inside! Another cool feature is the loop they have on the end of the case to carry it by. I often go to my brother's (who's my next door neighbor) basement to workout and usually just take a small case with my supplies instead of a big bag and this case will be easy to grab and go with.
   I opened the package when it came today and it didn't look as big as I'd pictured it. I was afraid for a bit that next it wouldn't hold as much as I'd hoped it would. Turns out I was wrong cause it will! Thought it would be good to give a list of what its holding and some pictures as the main part of my review so you other girly diabetics can know if this type of bag would work for you! Here is the list of things I have in it and they fit nicely.
 
My Glucagon Emergency shot
A 4 pack of peanut butter crackers
A pump Reservoir
A pump site
Some lancets
A pump battery
A few alcohol wipes
2 Glucose quick sticks
My tester (accucheck aviva)
A can of test strips
My lancet (accucheck softclix)

So yeah, for a little bag that measures 7x4 inches thats a nice amount of stuff and really everything a diabetic needs to have along regularly or at least everything I feel I need with me. Below are some pictures I took of it. I'm excited to use it and hope some fellow diabetics find this helpful!

The handy loop on the end. 

Everything I carry and everything that fits in the bag.

All my supplies :)

Let me know what bag you use to carry your supplies :)

Leanna

             

         

Recitals, finals and life.

   Wow is it seriously the 4th of DECEMBER?! Where is November go and where is December going?! For me its going into long hours of studying and stressing! On the bright side, in a week and a half the semester of school is over and I get to have more then a month of a break :)

   In addition to lots of school I also have had a lot of piano stuff going on. Since my teacher switch this summer I am very much enjoying working with my current teacher. She has helped me technically a lot and has helped me make WAY more progress then I expected to have made by now. I think she will be able to really take my playing to the level I want to be at but now the question is this. Can I measure up to the standards she sets? I hope so! My previous teacher did not have her students do any kind of memorization so starting that with my current teacher was a very new experience. I learned 2 pieces in about 7 weeks and had them ready for my first memorization recital in November which went great. Now I am 12 day from my Christmas recital which I am very excited for. This one is not being played from memory. I love Christmas and what better way to kick of the break from school then with a Christmas recital?

   I can't believe the semester is almost over! but mind you its a welcome thought to me :) This semester has been very stressful and I'm excited for it to be over so I can start fresh in the spring semester. 1 more quiz, 3 more exams, and one more chapter and discussion post and the semester is over! I already know that my Sociology grade will be like a 99.67%. My geography class will sadly be a B and I'm really hoping to finish math with an A but intermediate Algebra isn't really my thing!

   Please continue to pray for my sisters baby. Things are still the same the time for his birth and without a miracle his death seems to be coming close. God still works miracles and can for this little angel! It is heartbreaking to think I will have a nephew I will never get to know. He is sooo loved already and will always be. 

   Healthwise I'm doing great. New Endo, much improved a1c and an even better one on the way! I want to write a more in depth post about all that during break and will also have had another appointment by then so am gonna hold off for now.

   Well its 11:30pm and I still need to practice piano a bit and have to get to bed so I'm gonna say goodnight. I wanted to right a little up date and am glad I did :)

Love and Hugs, Leanna

God's comfort for me

   Hey all. Just taking a few minutes from my math homework to share something that gave me great encouragement last night. Before going to sleep I picked up a small book I keep on my headboard called Bedside Blessings by Charles Swindoll. It has a small section to read each day of the year and while I frequently read from it, I had not for quite awhile until I did last night. The part for last night was this:

   October 7: Has a friend betrayed you?...Has a disaster dropped on your life that's almost too great to bear? If so,don't fight back. Unjust suffering can be a dizzying experience. To keep your balance in those times when things are swirling around you, it's important to find a fixed reference point and focus on it. Return to the protection and guardianship of the Good Shepherd who endured the cross and laid down His life...for you.
          I am the good shepherd;
       the good shepherd lays down
            His life for the sheep.
             John 10:11

 I thought maybe someone out there who sees this might need it. It brought me to tears and brought such a calm over my soul. After something I went through awhile ago and something my family is going through now and in the next few months, I had no doubt why God led me to picking up that book last night.

  Well back to math and everyone have a GREAT day!! :)

Love and Hugs, Leanna

Diabetes at school and etc.

   With summer almost over my mind has been on blood sugar control while living a busy school schedule and on dealing with it while in class. Anyway most of this blog is gonna be pictures!

I got this really cute makeup case at Kmart. I love using makeup bags for my D supplies cause other cases are boring!

Might be small but holds alot! See the next pic...

I'm a big purse kind of girl. So I usually have no trouble having room to carry all my stuff. But when it comes to going to school I don't want to carry a purse and a book bag. I found this cute little Rosetti purse on clearance at Kohl's and last semester used it ALOT. Its perfect for putting all my diabetic stuff and my wallet etc in and I can just toss it in my bookbag. 

And yes, everything does fit in.......

and yes the zipper does close!!

Where theres a will, there's a way! :)

  Anyway thats just my ramblings about home to carry all my stuff. Hope you like it and maybe I'll give you an idea :)

Leanna

Accepting changes

   Hey to all my friends! Its been way to long since I had a post but I either haven't had the time, just haven't gotten to it or didn't wanna bore you if I did have anything much to say. Right now I'm fully loving my break from school over the summer and its going way to fast. I'm also excited about the Olympics that are about to start and have been following all the competitions that have been leading up to the them. I'm a big gymnastics fan and thats for the most part the only summer sport I follow.
   Tonight's blog is focused on changes and how I believe it is important to accept them as they come. I'm thinking about this a lot because tomorrow is the beginning of a new chapter for me in a part of my lift that is very important to me. Recently things ended with my piano teacher of 4 years and while I'm not going to give any details I will say that things did not end the way I wish they would have and it has been rather hard on me due to the fact that she was not only the only teacher I'd ever had but was also a close friend. I will also need to be starting with a new doctor soon due to insurance issues and being a type 1 diabetic its a lot bigger of a deal to switch doctors then it is for many people. I plan to write a detailed blog on all that once everything is set in stone but tonight's post is focusing on the things that are changing right now and just accepting change in general.
   I believe I am a person who adjusts to changes pretty easily and I am REALLY want to continue to be that way. I watch people who resist change and see all the pain and stress that puts them through and I don't want to do that to myself more then I have to. Also I know that the older one gets the harder it is to adapt to change so when is the best time to welcome change? When your young! My Grandma has always hated change and now as she is nearly 80 years old it has made things harder for her and those around her. She struggles to accept things ranging from my Grandfathers declining health and things like having small trees in their lawn cut down because they are dead. I believe that accepting small changes that happen regularly and just moving on by making the most of the situation will make it soooo much easier to accept bigger things ranging from ended relationships to moving from one season in your life to the next.
   Another thing that I have learned from going though this experience is that going through something hard really helps you to notice who really cares about you and makes you love them even more (if possible). For me those people are my family. They have given my support and shown their love to me and it has meant more to me then I believe they will ever know.
   Also while going through changes in my life I find it very helpful to use the "glass half full" strategy and to play the Glad Game. Even though it is really hard to see what good is going to come out of a situation when you are going though a painful time, and believe my I know it is, there is often some good to be found. One thing I have to be glad about it the fact that I instantly was able to find an excellent new teacher who I believe will really be able to help me musically. I will admit that I am still struggling to find a lot of good that is coming out of this situation but I am starting to feel that the change was a good thing and there are multiple ways in which I will benefit from it.
   Also I need to strongly bring out the thing that probably plays the largest factor in my ability to accept change and that is the strength I have given to me by God alone. I am a firm believer that God will not give us anything that we cannot handle. We in our own strength are unable to happen things that come are way but it is in those times that God wants us to come to him and trust him with our troubles and trials. One of my favorite Bible verses is Isaiah 40:31 which says "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Another on of my favorites is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
   So tomorrow as I begin my journey with my new teacher I will be trying to look for all the good that can come out of it rather that harping on what I lost. You can think of me as I move ahead tomorrow and in the following weeks :)  And my friends, in closing I just want to say to make things easier on you and those around you, accept the changes that come your way. Hold tight to your family and your true friends and draw close to God though the good and bad times as He will NEVER leave you or forsake you.

Love and Hugs, Leanna    

Life on break from school!

   Happy 2012! Wait, did I really just say that?! How is it already 2012? As time passes I become more and more sure that the older you are and the busier you are, the faster time goes. I have no reason to wish time was going slower as a have a very blessed life but it feels weird to be getting this old and its totally scary how fast the kids in my life are growing up.
   I'm totally loving my time off school! The fall semester was over on Dec. 19th and the spring semester starts Jan. 17th. That date is coming up WAY to fast but I'm just loving the time I have off! I plan to have lunch with a few friends over the next week and a half and maybe do a little shopping ;) I went on a trip to Wisconsin to see my Grandparents. My family left home the day after Christmas and came home on Tuesday. I was able to have a great time with my cousins and just had time to chill and shop (did I say shop again?!). Even though I had fun I was ready to come home and enjoy finishing my break at home. Probably the thing I am doing the most since I'm home is reading. I love good fiction romance books with one of my favorite writers being Karen Kingsbury. Karen is a very inspiring writer. Currently one the the sets I'm reading is the Bailey Flanigan series and I am LOVING them! I finished the 3rd one now I have to wait till the end of march to get the last one!
   Enough of the rambling about my break. As far as going back to school next week, I honestly have mixed feelings. If it wasn't that I struggle with math I would really enjoy it. I like the feeling of working hard and having it pay off. I will be doing two online classes as well as math in class which has me in class twice a week. On top of that I work two part time jobs, am a piano student and have type 1 diabetes as a constant companion.
   On the topic of diabetes, I could be doing much better then I am recently. I had been doing well then on the holidays and with a road trip/visit to my grandparents my blood sugars got rather nasty. I had the think of that in tonights dsma session when one of the questions was do you have worse eating habits in the winter time? My answer? The worst time is over the holidays but my eating habits arent as good most of the time as they should be. They have been better since I'm home but still not where I want them or where they need to be. I am trying hard to get back into the groove of working out and hoping that that will help. I think part of it might be that now I'm fighting a cold which is making my numbers even more stubborn. All that I have been doing for my cold is trying to take vitamins (which I'm not doing as much as I should) and decided instead of taking cold meds to give Simply Saline a try. So far I am very impressed! I was hoping it would be worth it as it is nearly 8 bucks a bottle and it seems to be. I wont lie and tell you that its fun to use cause it really isn't! It give you a temporary feeling that your drowning but it really does help with the congestion in the end. Anyone else struggling with sickness that is affecting your diabetes? I know compared to many of you out there I am pretty new to diabetes which is why I love getting to interact with you guys. Also I don't have any fellow Type 1 friends except for online so it really does mean alot to me to call you guys my friends.
   When it comes to working out my biggest problem is motivation! I am extremely lucky that my brother, who is my neighbor, has a small gym set up in his basement which I am welcome to use anytime. I am in the proccess of getting back into working out and its not very easy! If anyone has a tips I am more then open to them!
   Since it seems I'm covering most areas that are a big part of my life I'll bring in piano too. Piano is very special to me. Sitting to the piano and practicing for awhile is a great way for me to relax and unwind. Sometimes its hard for me to believe that in march it will only be 4 years since I started! It feels like it has been a part of my life much longer then that and then again sometimes it seems like my first lesson was just yesterday! I am lucky to still be with the same teacher I started with and feel like we work together well. She is understanding and not demanding when it comes to sometimes not getting as much practice as I should because of school and there are many times when I get frustrated with myself for not making more progress or struggling with something certain that she'll be encouraging. I am currently working as a student teacher at her music studio and teaching the kids I teach is very rewarding to me :) Any frustration I might feel at times seemed very distant when earlier after a 5 year old I teach had her lesson she came and hugged me and said "I love you" :) It nearly brought tears to my eyes and helped me resolve one thing. Being a teacher really is worth it.
   So now I want to ask how you all are doing? All of my online friends mean ALOT to me and I love hearing from you! Please tweet me, comment and email me!
   As we go on in this new year lets all try to make it the best year we've ever had! I feel so very blessed and don't want to make the mistake of taking it forgranted. I want to draw closer to God personally so I can truely shine for him to all the people I interact with. Also I want to take the time to appreicaite my family and their support.

Well I hope you enjoyed my update and I wasnt too boring!  Love and Hugs, Leanna