Most of you who know me well know I am not a gardener......
In the South, many people live to garden. You always see movies with those older southern ladies....wearing gardening gloves and big hats to protect their fair skin from the sun. Me.....um....not!! I do wear a hat in the summer but that is just when I am sitting in my friend Kathy's pool and don't want my scalp to burn......yes I said it and I will say it again......I don't want my scalp to burn. You all know my hair is thin and baby fine so I must protect my head. Once I get in the pool, I never want to get out so the hat is a necessity.
Back to the gardening.....
The front of the house looked a little dreary. Jenn and I decided to go to Lowe's. Yes, us and about 90 million other people (that number might be slightly exaggerated). Everyone decided yesterday was the day to spruce up the yard. We bought cedar mulch, a small half barrel, some herbs and potting soil. It was almost 90 degrees out and I was sweating as I walked around and around looking at the plants and seeds.
We got home and I went inside to cool off.....a big THANK YOU to the person who invented central air!!!
Once I had cooled off, Jenn and I went outside and spread the cedar mulch. We also planted an herb garden with oregano, basil, parsley, dill and chives. The only thing I have left to do is get a few hanging baskets for the front porch and I am done. I want to get spider plants to hang. They endure the heat well and I usually do not have to replace them during the summer. As long as I remember to water them each day.....
Should I mention not only was I covered in dirt and sweating and smelled like cedar but I was extremely hot!!!
Do I count this as exercise?? You bet you a** I do!!!!
OK, I will admit that when I pulled away from the house today to go to the gym....it did look pretty. Now the works begins because now I have to keep it that way.
Wonder how many points I burned up during the process......it better have been a lot!!!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Italian Cooking Lessons
As part of the weekly Italian class Jenn and I are taking, this week we were in the kitchen....
Maria, our instructor's Mom, taught us how to make sauce, lasagna, fresh fruit salad and tiramasu from scratch. Maria is a retired pastry chef from Italy. It was fun to watch flour, eggs and a few other ingredients become lasagna noodles and fettuccine. This is the first time I have eaten lasagna without ricotta cheese but it did have mortadella added to it. Jenn posted some pictures on facebook of the cooking class. Although I am not a fan of tiramasu, I did try a tiny bit and it was very good. Did I mention Ellen from the class brought homemade focaccia bread? Oh and I forgot to mention the Italian cherries and cheeses that we shared. This is an intimidating crowd to cook for....
Italian phrasing was used during the cooking and eating.
Just so you know I watched what I ate all day so I would have sufficient points for the meal. And yes, I ate normal portions....LOL. It was very hard to control myself!!!
The class has decided to have each of us on occasion will bring something we make to our weekly meeting that is special to us. I told them I wouldn't dare bring any Italian food into their house. Although, I think I am a good cook....I can't hold a candle to any of these cooks in the Italian food department!!!!
The good part was I was able to enjoy this meal with some new friends.I still managed to lose at the scale this week.......
The evening was "magnifico" !!!! And we applauded Maria when the meal was done.....a few "Bravos" were part of the cheers.
Maria, our instructor's Mom, taught us how to make sauce, lasagna, fresh fruit salad and tiramasu from scratch. Maria is a retired pastry chef from Italy. It was fun to watch flour, eggs and a few other ingredients become lasagna noodles and fettuccine. This is the first time I have eaten lasagna without ricotta cheese but it did have mortadella added to it. Jenn posted some pictures on facebook of the cooking class. Although I am not a fan of tiramasu, I did try a tiny bit and it was very good. Did I mention Ellen from the class brought homemade focaccia bread? Oh and I forgot to mention the Italian cherries and cheeses that we shared. This is an intimidating crowd to cook for....
Italian phrasing was used during the cooking and eating.
Just so you know I watched what I ate all day so I would have sufficient points for the meal. And yes, I ate normal portions....LOL. It was very hard to control myself!!!
The class has decided to have each of us on occasion will bring something we make to our weekly meeting that is special to us. I told them I wouldn't dare bring any Italian food into their house. Although, I think I am a good cook....I can't hold a candle to any of these cooks in the Italian food department!!!!
The good part was I was able to enjoy this meal with some new friends.I still managed to lose at the scale this week.......
The evening was "magnifico" !!!! And we applauded Maria when the meal was done.....a few "Bravos" were part of the cheers.
A Full Circle Of Life Week
This last week included all the major events of life: birth, marriage and death.
Birth:
I was so excited to hear our family will have a new addition. My nephew Nick and his wife Sally are expecting a baby in the fall. Sally posted a sonogram picture on facebook. I can already see the baby looks like her Great-Aunt Donna.....LOL. This will be the 2nd girl in that generation in our family. Funny, I remember my great Aunts and Uncles and they seemed so much older than I am now.....is my memory fading or am I just not willing to admit that I am probably the age they were when I remember spending time with them.
Marriage:
We made reservations for the hotel in Jensen Beach, FL for another nephews wedding. Nick's brother George will be marrying his love Mary in June. This is going to be a great week-end and I am excited to spend time with my family. George is the oldest of the grandchildren and has planned a special week-end for all the guests.
Death:
I received a phone call Friday to let me know about a friends passing. Dwayne was one of the kindest people I have ever known, always smiling as if he knew a secret, and a wonderful contagious laugh. We worked together 3 times in the last 12 years at different jobs. He was too young to have been taken from us so suddenly.
I experienced joy at the news of a new baby.....that definitely should be named in honor of Nick's favorite Aunt and Godmother....the would be me!!!
I enjoyed thinking about the happiness of George and Mary as they get ready to start their life together.
I mourn the ending of a life too soon....as I said on facebook although he is gone.....there is a new star in the sky and the heavens are filled with his laughter.
From birth to death all in a few shorts days.....the one resounding commonality was love. Love for a new life, the love of a young couple and the love for a friend that will be missed.
It has been quite a week......
Birth:
I was so excited to hear our family will have a new addition. My nephew Nick and his wife Sally are expecting a baby in the fall. Sally posted a sonogram picture on facebook. I can already see the baby looks like her Great-Aunt Donna.....LOL. This will be the 2nd girl in that generation in our family. Funny, I remember my great Aunts and Uncles and they seemed so much older than I am now.....is my memory fading or am I just not willing to admit that I am probably the age they were when I remember spending time with them.
Marriage:
We made reservations for the hotel in Jensen Beach, FL for another nephews wedding. Nick's brother George will be marrying his love Mary in June. This is going to be a great week-end and I am excited to spend time with my family. George is the oldest of the grandchildren and has planned a special week-end for all the guests.
Death:
I received a phone call Friday to let me know about a friends passing. Dwayne was one of the kindest people I have ever known, always smiling as if he knew a secret, and a wonderful contagious laugh. We worked together 3 times in the last 12 years at different jobs. He was too young to have been taken from us so suddenly.
I experienced joy at the news of a new baby.....that definitely should be named in honor of Nick's favorite Aunt and Godmother....the would be me!!!
I enjoyed thinking about the happiness of George and Mary as they get ready to start their life together.
I mourn the ending of a life too soon....as I said on facebook although he is gone.....there is a new star in the sky and the heavens are filled with his laughter.
From birth to death all in a few shorts days.....the one resounding commonality was love. Love for a new life, the love of a young couple and the love for a friend that will be missed.
It has been quite a week......
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Back To The Basics...
Sometimes I get slack.....I get lazy about writing down what I eat, don't really focus on the portion sizes and don't drink all of my water. When this happens .....it shows at the scale.
So once again.....for the 90 zillionth time.....I am getting tough on myself. I promise for this week to write down everything I eat......I promise to watch my portion size.......I promise to drink all of my water (even if it means I have to get up during the night).
I am going to try and get up early enough each morning to make a fresh salad, soup or veggie dish for lunch. I have green zucchini ready to go, bought some grape tomato's to munch on, celery and cukes to eat with salsa.
I don't know why I get slack with these things......fortunately I do not get slack about the gym......I am even thinking about squeezing in another day on a regular basis.....last week I went 4 times and that is what I am shooting for and maybe 5 times some weeks.....just have to figure out when to do it......in the morning.....hhhmmm......that would be tough.....I would love to but I can barely get myself out of bed on time as it is.....after work??....I would love to some straight home from work at least 2 days a week......so I will have to think on that one and figure it out.....wish I could get to the pool on lunch hour......more to think about....
I will get this all straight sooner or later......sooner would be better.....right??
So once again.....for the 90 zillionth time.....I am getting tough on myself. I promise for this week to write down everything I eat......I promise to watch my portion size.......I promise to drink all of my water (even if it means I have to get up during the night).
I am going to try and get up early enough each morning to make a fresh salad, soup or veggie dish for lunch. I have green zucchini ready to go, bought some grape tomato's to munch on, celery and cukes to eat with salsa.
I don't know why I get slack with these things......fortunately I do not get slack about the gym......I am even thinking about squeezing in another day on a regular basis.....last week I went 4 times and that is what I am shooting for and maybe 5 times some weeks.....just have to figure out when to do it......in the morning.....hhhmmm......that would be tough.....I would love to but I can barely get myself out of bed on time as it is.....after work??....I would love to some straight home from work at least 2 days a week......so I will have to think on that one and figure it out.....wish I could get to the pool on lunch hour......more to think about....
I will get this all straight sooner or later......sooner would be better.....right??
What the hell is going on with my eyelids???
Last week I decided to try something as an experiment.....I made up one half of my face at a time to see if my make-up really made a difference in the way I looked. The answer.....OH MY GOD YES !!!!!
Not that with make-up I would end up on the cover of Vogue but without it I could probably end up on the cover of MAD magazine. Some people are very lucky and can carry off the no make-up look. I used to be able to........but that was a long time ago!!!
While I was doing my goofy half make-up experiment.....I noticed something I hadn't really picked up on before. When I used my make-up brush to apply my eyeshadow.....my eyelid didn't automatically pop back into place......it kind of slowly slid back into place....uuuggghh.
My hair is thinning, I get my face waxed (OK so I can get hair on my face and not on my head????), my boobs are racing to see which one can reach my waist first, my hands have a lot of wrinkles even when I do not spend excessive time in the water and now my eyelids have lost their elasticity....
I am afraid to see what is next.....and I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats wanting to know too.....maybe body parts will start falling off......I promise you will be the first to know....stay tuned!!!
Not that with make-up I would end up on the cover of Vogue but without it I could probably end up on the cover of MAD magazine. Some people are very lucky and can carry off the no make-up look. I used to be able to........but that was a long time ago!!!
While I was doing my goofy half make-up experiment.....I noticed something I hadn't really picked up on before. When I used my make-up brush to apply my eyeshadow.....my eyelid didn't automatically pop back into place......it kind of slowly slid back into place....uuuggghh.
My hair is thinning, I get my face waxed (OK so I can get hair on my face and not on my head????), my boobs are racing to see which one can reach my waist first, my hands have a lot of wrinkles even when I do not spend excessive time in the water and now my eyelids have lost their elasticity....
I am afraid to see what is next.....and I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats wanting to know too.....maybe body parts will start falling off......I promise you will be the first to know....stay tuned!!!
The Curling Iron.....
I know I should not complain about my hair.....especially when there are those close to me who have lost theirs at different times due to chemo or who are experiencing that loss now.....
BUT when I feel like I have so few physical attributes.....I have to hang on to whatever I can....except my weight....
Back to my hair.....it is thin and baby fine......I am so afraid I will become one of those women you see where all you see is scalp.......I am not talking about the people who lose it to chemo and then it grows back.....I don't think mine is coming back.......so what to do.....
I now spend more time on my hair than I have my whole life.....gels, curlers, highlights.....you know.....the whole 9 yards......
I now use a curling iron.....not too hot though......don't want to burn the hair I still have.....I do like the way it looks when it is done......the problem is ....it does take more time......I can't just slap on the gel, add some curlers, let it sit and take them out before I leave for work......I have to wait for my hair to dry....apply some gel and start curling......once I am done.... with just a little hairspray I am good to go......in order to do this I have to give myself another 15 minutes in the morning.....
At the rate I am going I will never get to sleep. I have to keep on getting up earlier and earlier to make myself look......well you know.....
BUT when I feel like I have so few physical attributes.....I have to hang on to whatever I can....except my weight....
Back to my hair.....it is thin and baby fine......I am so afraid I will become one of those women you see where all you see is scalp.......I am not talking about the people who lose it to chemo and then it grows back.....I don't think mine is coming back.......so what to do.....
I now spend more time on my hair than I have my whole life.....gels, curlers, highlights.....you know.....the whole 9 yards......
I now use a curling iron.....not too hot though......don't want to burn the hair I still have.....I do like the way it looks when it is done......the problem is ....it does take more time......I can't just slap on the gel, add some curlers, let it sit and take them out before I leave for work......I have to wait for my hair to dry....apply some gel and start curling......once I am done.... with just a little hairspray I am good to go......in order to do this I have to give myself another 15 minutes in the morning.....
At the rate I am going I will never get to sleep. I have to keep on getting up earlier and earlier to make myself look......well you know.....
So Now I Have To Give Up Pretzels....
I love pretzels.....
especially covered in chocolate......
I know those are a no-no. I love a plain mini size pretzel.....OK no "a" but a handful or serving size which is 20. I also like the cheese flavored ones too!!! After talking to Carol during my training session I now know they have to go.....sigh.....another thing I love bites the dust. Although they are fat free or almost fat free but they are make with white stuff....flour. I asked about wheat pretzels but Carol said no to that too. She asked me if they came from the ground.....I know they didn't......then don't have them.....this no white stuff and only eating things that were around 100 years ago is not easy....
Carol said I could have them occasionally but not everyday.....that is what I have been having as a snack.....oh well....good-by my friend.....join the list of no-no's....the list is getting longer and longer everyday.
Then I asked Carol.....what can I have when I want something crunchy....celery. What about salty? What about sweet? What about sweet and salty?....
Suggestions.....turkey pepperoni, string cheese, celery with low fat dip or salsa...
If it helps me get to where I want to be then I guess it is a good thing.....well good-by pretzels......I will miss you.....go hang out with all the other things I try not to eat any more......and list continues to grow......
especially covered in chocolate......
I know those are a no-no. I love a plain mini size pretzel.....OK no "a" but a handful or serving size which is 20. I also like the cheese flavored ones too!!! After talking to Carol during my training session I now know they have to go.....sigh.....another thing I love bites the dust. Although they are fat free or almost fat free but they are make with white stuff....flour. I asked about wheat pretzels but Carol said no to that too. She asked me if they came from the ground.....I know they didn't......then don't have them.....this no white stuff and only eating things that were around 100 years ago is not easy....
Carol said I could have them occasionally but not everyday.....that is what I have been having as a snack.....oh well....good-by my friend.....join the list of no-no's....the list is getting longer and longer everyday.
Then I asked Carol.....what can I have when I want something crunchy....celery. What about salty? What about sweet? What about sweet and salty?....
Suggestions.....turkey pepperoni, string cheese, celery with low fat dip or salsa...
If it helps me get to where I want to be then I guess it is a good thing.....well good-by pretzels......I will miss you.....go hang out with all the other things I try not to eat any more......and list continues to grow......
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