Problem Solved…PHEW!

Bloggers take note – if your comments on other people’s blogs are not showing up, they are more than likely being marked as spam.  This means that unless a blogger checks his/her spam comments on a regular basis and marks them as “Not Spam,” no one is ever going to see them.  I FIGURED IT OUT!  Go me, go me! 🙂  So after begging for y’alls help last night, I picked up the phone and called my super genius bf and begged him for help.  He too was stumped.  I was so frustrated at this point.  I took a deep breath and started Googling phrases like, “My comments are not showing up on other people’s blogs.”  That really didn’t return any useful links so I added WordPress to the end of that statement.  Finally I saw something relevant that referenced Akismet (the spam catcher).  I use the Akismet widget on my blog so I clicked on the link and started reading.  What I found out was that sometimes, for reasons that I still don’t understand, a perfectly legitimate blogger (ME!) can end up on a spam list.  What this means is that your comments on other blogs will never show up (see bold).  What you can do if you ever find yourself in this situation is:

1. Go to http://akismet.com/contact/
2. Click on the 4th radio button – “I think Akismet is catching my comments by mistake.”
3. Fill out the necessary information – name, email, blog URL, message
4. Click on submit
5. Optional step: Call me crazy, but I repeated steps 1-4 three times!!!  I just wanted to make sure I was first on their list, so I could go back to commenting on all my favorite blogs!
6. Wait – (my issues was resolved in less than 24 hours)

I cracked the code!  I may not always be the most technologically savvy person, but I am a heck of a troubleshooter!

Knife, Dinner, and Avocados

I did stop at Target on my way home, and I bought a knife, along with some Kleenex and a nail clipper.  I definitely had the urge to buy more, but I kept repeating “save money, save money, save money” in my head.  🙂

I was pretty hungry, so I started on dinner almost immediately.  Dinner tonight was a colorful salad.  The word boring may be running through your head right about now, but this salad was anything but.  It included spinach, avocado, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, black beans, and goat cheese.  I topped it with Annie’s Organic Roasted Garlic dressing.  Wowsers – this was quite the salad, one of my best yet!

The Health section of the local newspaper was waiting for me lying by the elevator, so I grabbed it and brought it up to my room.  The last page had a section called “Health Watch,” and today, there was a blurb about the benefits of avocados.  Yay, I LOVE avocados – love, love, love!  Here’s what was written:

“Avocados are a heart-healthy fruit with folate; vitamins E, C, and B; potassium, and fiber.  They can reduce cholesterol levels, promote healthy vision and may protect against cancer.”

I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how avocados are so bad for you because of their high fat content.  Yes, avocados do have a lot of fat, but it’s the healthy kind.  So while you shouldn’t eat 2-3 avocados a day, I personally think up to half an avocado a few times a week is ok.  So, the next time your find yourself hesitant to buy this fruit, relax and grab a few – they’re good for you!  🙂

Slow Down Challenge

After I posted last night, I realized that I forgot to update y’all on my Slow Down Challenge.  I did really well yesterday up until dinner.  I gobbled that quesadilla like it was nobody’s business!  Oops!  I think I know what my biggest trigger is for fast eating –  sitting down to eat when I am famished.  To combat this,  I am going to make sure I always have nuts, Larabars, or fruit on me at all times.  Today was much better.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all eaten very slowly.  As annoying as putting down my utensils between each bite is, it’s the one habit that is helping me the most. 

If your ideal salad could include any ingredients in the whole wide world, which would you choose and why? 
Do you like avocados? What’s your favorite way to eat them?

I think I’ve said enough for today! 😛  Have a great night!