Paula Deen has Diabetes

If you know me personally, you know that I have loved and admired Paula Deen for years. I have all of  her cookbooks, I watch all of her shows religiously, and on Monday, when the rumor mill was a buzz about her announcement that "The Queen of Butter" had type 2 diabetes, I was sad and concerned for her, but also hopeful that this would be a chance for her to re-brand herself, and that she would invite the public to  join her on a personal journey to health and wellness, but that has not happened yet. Instead she told us that for three years she has had this disease, and only when she became a paid spokesperson for a drug company did she decide to tell the public about her illness. I am sure she thought this was the right way to come out, so to speak, but it sent the wrong message to her followers.

Paula Deen Announces Diabetes Diagnosis

Now don't get me wrong, Ms Deen has a right to decide if, and when she shares any health issues, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that she she was afraid of what this particular diagnosis would do to her brand. She built her empire on high fat, sugar laden food, and this had to be a particularly hard diagnosis to come to terms with. Paula turned 65 last week, and as I well know, old habits are hard to break, and it must be especially difficult when your whole business is based on the wrong kind of food. This unfortunate condition that Paula is now dealing with, can be a golden opportunity to re-brand herself as the reformed Southern girl, who gave up the grease to promote health and wellness to her loyal fans. Sure, she might lose some of her followers, but she will gain other, more health conscious fans in the process. I hope she donates the money she is being paid by the drug company to diabetes research. If she decides to pen a cookbook for diabetics, I bet it would be another smash hit, and how about a workout video, Sweating the Grease Out with Paula, I'm in!

 Her son Bobby, seems to be on the right track with his new show, "Not My Mama's Meals", and I think the concept is exactly what the Deen franchise needs right now. Bobby has been on the health wagon for many years, and has been giving his Mama a nudge in that direction, I just hope she follows his lead. 

Bobby Deen, Not My Mama's Meals

Lynn and Bobby 2011

I think there is still time for Paula to turn this into a huge opportunity, instead of a crisis. She is still the most inviting person on television, and her laugh is infectious. She was on a show called "The Chew" last week, and  it showed a side of Paula we don't normally see. 

Paula Deen on The Chew

I still love Paula, and always will, I want her to take care of herself, so her family and fans have her around for a long time!

This is my favorite Paula Deen moment! Enjoy!

Paula Deen on Oprah

The Dock Master

My husband has a very interesting profession, he is a Naval Architect/Marine Engineer. One of his main duties is figuring out how to get very large ships into the water once they are ready to float. The term for this person is either Launch Master or Dock Master, they both mean the same thing, and my husband has held both titles during his more than thirty year career.

Here is a link to a video of a ship my husband launched at a company in Wisconsin, where his title was Launch Master.  http://youtu.be/jMusbHeQlKs  He launched 56 ships with this side launch system that he designed before he left the company, and not one of the them ever sank! ;-) Sorry honey, I just had to give you a poke.

This past week, acting as the Dock Master for a different shipbuilding company in Alabama,  he launched a ship, but in a very different way. Instead of sliding it into the water sideways, they move the ship on to a barge, float it down the bay, then off load it on to a dry dock, that then lowers the ship into the water. While the process is much less exciting, the end result is pretty impressive.

In fact, it is so impressive, that  Cars 2, featured it in the movie, and manufactured a toy called "Tony the Tri -Hull" !

I am very proud of  my Dock Master, and I am impressed everyday, by how intelligent he is, and the amazing career he has!

A New Year, A New Start

 It is already day ten into the new year, and I am still trying to figure out what I need from Twenty Twelve.

I know that I want to continue to write my blog, even though I abandoned it back in July. I had to back away from it to realize that I enjoy writing, but I also didn't feel authentic writing about diet issues when I was struggling  so hard day to day, and failing miserably.

Before  moving to Alabama in 2009, I had to have three very complicated neck surgeries, and without going into all of the gory details, I lived more than nine months in a hard neck brace, and lost three years of my life. We then made the move 1200 miles from all of our family and friends, and for the first time in many years I did not have the focus of a job or a social life, and  I fell down the rabbit hole into depression. It didn't help that I had to deal some uninformed people saying  I was a failure, useless, and lazy. These people had too much influence over my daily thoughts and feelings, and before I knew it, I was believing them.

With the support of a loving husband, and a wonderful physician, I am feeling hopeful again, but I still am dealing with the extra pounds I had before, and those I added while I was in a darker place. While I am going to get back on the diet wagon, I don't plan to make this blog all about weight loss, because I don't have all of the answers, I am just a work in progress.

One thing I plan to pursue this year is a culinary career, and while I am still figuring out what direction to go with that, I will leave you with link to a video of something that happened to me in 2011, that gave me back some confidence in myself again.

http://www2.wkrg.com/lifestyles/thanksgiving-family-favorites-recipe/2011/nov/18/family-favorites-dressing-winner-ar-2724090/