Sunday, March 6, 2016

Week 11, 3-6-2016

Taking Care of My Health:  As I said in the last post, I needed one more week to get squared away.  Now it's time to really get serious about my health.  I still have many, many goals to finish, and when I feel good, I do more, so here's the updated plan.  Come on, you can do it.  Make time to do the things you know you need to do to be healthier, more energetic, and have the satisfaction of living up to your commitment.  I'm giving myself a pep talk, but it goes for you, too.


Some form of exercise five times a week.  Walking thirty minutes a day should be at least two of the five.



Eat the following daily:  Green leafy vegetable, apple, a white fruit or vegetable, a yellow or orange fruit or vegetable, a blue or purple fruit or vegetable.  Now we're up to our full rainbow of five colors per day.  But don't stop there.  You can have as many of any color that you wish.  



Drink the following daily:  Black, white or green tea, eight glasses of water.



Get at least ten minutes of sunlight each day.  Most of us are vitamin D deficient.



Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, with six to eight hours of sleep per night.



Trying New Gadgets:  Remember the little mini-cupcake baker from last week?  Friend Joey tried hers with mini-pineapple upside-down cakes.  




Then I decided to try mine with the chocolate cupcake recipe which came with the baker.  I read it over and thought it sounded more like brownies, so I just whipped up the batter from a mix I had in the cupboard.  It said that brownie type batters needed liners, so I used some I bought recently.  The bottom diameter is only 1-1/2 inches.  They're on a salad plate, not a dinner plate.



It worked well, but I wanted smaller, so I used some paper cups left from Christmas which are for holding candies.  They made cute little cupcakes, but they're not the right type paper, so it was difficult to separate the cupcake from the liner.  Still a work in progress, but I'm hopeful.  Remember, they're on a salad plate.  You can see the difference in the size.



The instructions say that I can use my own cake recipes or even cake mixes and get good results.  To be continued. . . 

Tales:  Unfortunately, the book awaiting pickup was not a new Covington book from Tulsa and still waiting.

Friend Patsy in Arkansas mentioned that she'd been watching movies on a Hallmark channel based on Joann Fluke's mystery books and really enjoyed them.  Then I remembered that Friend Joey had mentioned those books also, so I borrowed the first in the series from her.


The protagonist, Hannah, owns a cookie shop and included in the book are seven cookie recipes.  I decided to try one, so more 

Tasting:  I decided to make Pecan Chews.  Oh, dear!  This is the best cookie I ever tasted, and you can't lose.  If you bake them a little longer than you should, you have Pecan Crisps instead of Pecan Chews, but they're just as good.  I made only half the recipe.  They're on a luncheon size plate, not dinner size.


Then I decided that you just can't have too many pecans.


And then I wanted to try a smaller size for afternoon teas.


They were still larger than I wanted, so I tried just 1/2 teaspoon of batter, and bake for only five minutes.


They're delicious in any size.  Now the dilemma is whether to bake or read.  I want to do both.  I started the next book, "Strawberry Shortcake Murder", but there are six more recipes in the first book to try.  Think I'll do Regency Ginger Crisps next.

My bananas for the coffee cake still aren't ripe enough.  Soon though.

Tasting:  Not mine.  Brother Bill and Nephew Will went to Punta Cana in The Dominican Republic, and I wanted to share some of the photos of their yummy-looking food.





Punta Cana is in the Caribbean Sea on the island of Hispaniola, with Haiti on the western side and The Dominican Republic on the eastern side. Punta Cana is on the eastern tip of The Dominican Republic.  If you like a laid back beach vacation with fresh fruit and seafood, this is the place for you.  And the prices are very reasonable.

Things That Grow:  My north raised bed is finished and partially planted with all kinds of good veggies.  Some might be too early, but we'll see.  I just planted a little of a lot of things, like lettuce, spinach, kale, chard, onions, leeks, radishes, beets, turnips, carrots, and parsnips.  I planted soon radish seeds I bought at the Garden Show.  They're called Watermelon Radishes and they're white on the outside and red on the inside.  Hope they grow, because I'm very curious.

The daffodils I didn't get transplanted are blooming beautifully in the middle bed.



I'm only allowed fresh flowers when the house is clean, so maybe I can put that vacuum to work tomorrow so I can pick some of these little rays of sunshine and bring them in where I can enjoy them.  I never should have planted them in the raised bed in the first place.

Thrifting:  Not at the thrift stores, but at Staples.  Brother Dan alerted me to this bargain.


I got a case and a ream of paper (5,500 sheets) for $10 plus tax.  It's one of those rebate deals where you pay up front and then they send you a Visa card with the rebate difference. Hey, money is money.  I can take five minutes to go online and fill in the rebate numbers. You have to be a rewards member, but joining is free.

Togs:  I'm in love with that new orange handbag, so I came up with another way to use it.  I bought the jacket (Coldwater Creek) at the thrift store for $2.40, but it has to be ironed (ugh!).


Do you think the t-shirt is too golden?  I have one which is more lemony colored.  And I couldn't decide between yellow or orange beads.  

Sadly, this outfit won't match the purse, but I can use white.  I only paid $2.40 each for the top and the pants (which are Alfred Dunner).  My thrift store charges $3 for any top, skirt, pants, or jacket, and I go on a Senior Day and get 20% off.  Another top to iron.   I couldn't believe that I found these on the same day, and they match perfectly.  If I don't lose some weight, I'll have to put a white tee-shirt underneath and use coral beads.


Tidbits:  My seasons don't go by dates, but by months, and March is the beginning of spring. So down with the winter wreath.


And up with the spring wreath.


And some miscellaneous T's.

Teaching:  As promised last week, here's how you print your recipes or send them to someone by email.

To print - open the recipe - left click the butterfly in the upper left corner - left click "Print" from the drop-down menu.  The recipe must be open before you can print it.

To send - open the recipe - left click the butterfly in the upper left corner - left click "Send" - chose the first option (Email) and it will take you to a new email form with the recipe as an attachment.  Add your message and the name of the recipient.  

If your friend doesn't have Word, just open the recipe, highlight it, right click for "copy", open a new email and paste it in the message area.

Easy peasy.  

Thank You:  I'm new at this, so I don't know how to trace information, but I owe someone a thank you.  Last week someone who has lots of followers must have mentioned my blog, because I had 86 page views in one day, and I don't even know 86 people.  It's always nice to know that someone likes what you post, so Thank You, Nice Person, whomever and wherever you are.  You made my day.

Our VECC (Very Exclusive Cooking Club) meets next week, so I should have some nice Tasting photos.  My bananas should be ripe so I can work on the Banana Coffee Cake, also another cookie from Joann Fluke.  Go get her book.  If you don't like cozy mysteries, buy it for the recipes.  And, no, I don't know her, but if the recipe I tried is a sample of things to come, I'm her new BFF (Biggest Fan Forever).

Until next week - 

THINK GREEN FOR SPRING - BE NICE TO YOURSELF -BE NICE TO ONE ANOTHER - AND WORK ON OUR HEALTH GOALS

16 comments:

  1. Hi Patsy, thank you for your sweet visit. Like your lists for health. I am still working on eating the 'rainbow'. Tomorrow I start an exercise routine that I have been putting off forever - a new Jane Fonda workout tape. You have baked some delicious looking goodies. I like your thrifty outfits, too. I am always on the lookout for pretty skirts and blouses at the thrift store. I am partial to embroidery :) Take care xo Karen

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    1. Do you ever embroider your clothes? I've seen some darling tee-shirts with flower chains around the neck, etc. I'm glad you reminded me, because I've always wanted to try it.

      At one time, we were gluing on silk flowers to decorate our clothes. Miraculously, they went through the washing machine just fine. But big mistake! When I was doing a tour of GB, we were in Fish Guard, Wales, for a lunch stop before boarding the ferry for Ireland. I went into a little shop there and bought two tee-shirts which were on sale - one black and one white. They were the best tops I've ever owned, but before I made that discovery, I'd glued purple flowers with pearls on the white one and gold metallic flowers on the black one. How often can you find purple pants to match a top, and metallic gold? Oh, dear. I mourned the loss of those tops. It's my nature to look before I leap. Wonder if that little shop is still there? Lovely little village and a delectable chicken pasty.

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  2. what a fun way to write lists! drinking tea is definitely a wise thing to add! intrigued by your tiny baking, and love the look of your vegetable bed, we're just making a new flower bed in our garden.

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    1. I actually have three raised beds which I have never successfully utilized. They don't show from my windows so I can do anything I wish. I'm going to make a real effort to make the most of them this year. I'll use one to plant flowers for a cutting garden, one (where I stupidly planted daffodils and red storm lilies) for tomatoes and cucumbers. That's about all the room I have left until I move the bulbs. The third is planted in other veggies. I don't need much of each, because I live alone. Two radishes at a time for my salad; that sort of thing. We'll see. I promise to keep blogging about it - whether it's to flaunt my success or admit my failures.

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  3. Hello Patsy. You've done well with your mini cupcake maker. The cakes have turned out well after some experimenting with different paper cups. This week I will take a home made cake to share at one of my fellowship meetings and it will be a fruit cake with dates and raisins in it. I've been enjoying a lot of fresh fruit - mango, grapes, pineapples and mandarins in a fruit salad this week. The Punta Cana holiday must have been enjoyable for your brother and nephew; sunshine, sea and good fresh fish and fruit. You've found some more nice outfits at a bargain price. You are good at mixing and matching and the colours are bright and cheerful. It looks as if you're having good weather so that you've been able to make a start with outside gardening. A good idea to grow a variety of vegetables in small quantities. Looking forward to seeing more.

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    1. Thank you, Linda, for your kind comments. My yard and gardens will come to a screeching halt as we're looking forward to four days of rain.

      Perhaps I'll find time to work on one of the teas for my Everyday Afternoon Tea book. Though spring is showing her flowery face in spots, I'm working on winter teas. Maybe a holly tea.

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  4. Hello! Thank you for stopping by my blog! I haven't mentioned you, but I am following and will be stopping by! See you again! xx

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    1. One of these days I'll figure out how to join the Five on Friday.

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  5. Hi Patsy! Thanks for popping by my blog last week. I love finding new Blogland friends. I love your blog and the idea of the goals you set (and with all the "T's"!) So cool!!

    I actually just bought some new workout DVD's and I have also been setting higher standards/goals for myself with diet too! I don't know why it can't be easier - but for me it is something I need to "work at".

    You inspire me to want to keep moving though! Blessings to you. xoxo

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    1. Oh, Carrie, I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has trouble sticking to a health plan. I keep thinking I'll get caught up so that I can really concentrate on that alone, but other things keep pulling me off track. It's much more fun to bake than to exercise.

      Maybe the new Togs I'm working on will get me re-inspired. Before long I'll be able to wear white pants, and there's nothing like them to make your rear-end look as wide as a movie screen.

      Come on, Girlfriend, we can do this. We'll start for real next Monday. No more excuses.

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  6. I'm with you all the way Lady!! And your white pants comment gave me a great giggle - too true!! Lol

    I'm all in - and my New Year's "theme" I gave myself was "this is the way - walk in it". Sort of spiritually based, but also literally based as I'm going to walk and exercise myself to the person I want to be. ;)

    So just know I'm here cheerleading for us both!!

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    1. I'm doing my weigh in on Monday morning and then sticking to my plan; you know, the one I tell everyone to follow and then I don't. So much easier to preach than practice.

      So eat those treats this weekend, be a total couch potato, because Monday it's full speed ahead on our health and fitness program.

      Maybe we should take a "before" photo. I'm going to do that, but it WILL NOT be posted. For my motivation only.

      So happy to have company in this endeavor.

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    2. Before photo is a great idea! Love having the company too. We got this Girlie. ;) Happy Monday!! Off to my workout...

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    3. Senior moment. I forgot the photo, but I did weigh in. I'll do a selfie tomorrow in the buff. Those drooping rolls of fat should get me motivated to lose my Buddha-Belly.

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  7. What an interesting format for blog posts. I read a few earlier ones, too. The Covington series sounds interesting. You are right (referring to a comment on my blog) - there are so many things to do and see in this world that it's hard to imagine anyone being bored. I never am.
    We love vegetables so eating the rainbow is a regular habit around here. That said, I made a flourless chocolate cake to take to a dinner party this evening - it smells very tempting just now.

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    1. Wait until you see this week's post. It's food-food-food, but my goal for next week is only Thinning and Trimming, Taking Care of My Health, Things That Grow (right now it's weeds), and the really dreaded T - Taxes.

      Hope we're going to have photos of the dinner party.

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