tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25712549699721901192024-03-13T14:26:37.001-04:00yarnslingeryarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-24350068538344630902012-11-23T18:29:00.000-05:002012-11-23T18:29:11.472-05:00Friday. Not Black.I've always felt out of sync with what the rest of the world is doing. Caused me some angst when I was younger, but as an adult I have made my piece. For the most part, I just do not get American culture, in terms of fads and "what everyone else is doing". <br />
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And so, here, once again "THE HOLIDAYS" are upon us. And, I have come to a few realizations about what this whole time of year means to me.<br />
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1. I am really in tune with the earth at this time of year. Perhaps it is because I am a winter baby, born at the end of December. Anyway, for me, this next month is a time of going within. Not in a "omg.I.am.so depressed, don't want to get out of bed" kind of way, but in a "leave me alone I want to just go within and be still and listen and be" kind of way. Let me tell you - it is difficult to achieve that when all around me is the frenzy of "buy, buy, buy". When did the holidays become something that causes so much stress and business?<br />
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**Let me insert a disclaimer here. I am not judging. If you are someone who gets up at the asscrack of dawn to indulge in Black Friday and shops til you drop and loves to buy lots of presents, well bless your little heart. All I can say is I hope you are kind to the poor underpaid retail staff who have to work.**<br />
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2. I really do love Christmas. I love the lights. I love the story of the birth of Jesus, even though I respect it for what it is - a story, be it real or not - but this is really what the Christmas holiday is all about and to me, it is enchanting. As a kid we had this homemade manger - it had tree bark on it even! And every year we would set it up on the buffet thing in the dining room (long piece of furniture) and I would get to place all the animals and wise men and Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus any way I liked. The manger had a loft and a ladder and I would put straw up there for them to sleep, and lots of straw in the manger. It had a light socket for a colored bulb and I would change the color every few days. Let me tell you this, I loved this more, and got more entertainment out if this than any Barbie playhouse piece of plastic. <br />
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3. So even though I am not even remotely Christian, for me the holidays are about this story. I love when neighbors put up mangers. It saddens me when towns can't do this anymore because they are vandalized. <br />
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4. If people want to have a 2 month long period of time that is all about shopping and buying things, go for it. But do you have to call it Christmas? Especially w hen it is a faux pas to say Merry Christmas anymore? (Which for the record, I have decide this year I will no longer say "Happy Holidays". If you are Jewish, go ahead and which me a Happy Hanukkah. If you are African. a Happy Quanza) <br />
If you are offended - oh well!<br />
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5. I am going to enjoy the next month. As the light continues to dwindle, and my energy levels are tuned into that, I am going to cocoon every chance that I get. On the solstice, the light returns. I will spend a week thinking about my intentions and goals for the coming year - the energy is returning and growing and it is time to plant the seeds. <br />
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6. It feels good to be different from the "norm".<br />
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7. Merry Christmas!yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-35325824210751096312011-09-22T19:21:00.000-04:002011-09-22T19:21:57.847-04:00Friends<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hi Blog!</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's been a loooong time. Life must be going well, because I tend to only write when it isn't. And yet, I have so much on my mind - not bad, not good - just thoughts that need a place to be expressed. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wanted to write last night, but I am sick and I ran out of energy, Getting an early start tonight. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So friends have been on my mind this week. I spent an amazingly fun weekend this past one with 4 other friends in Ogunquit. Let me preface this by saying, I am generally not all that comfortable traveling in groups. I have my control issues, and I need to be able to do what I want, even if it's not what the group wants to do. And that has often caused problems, because others have expectations that I should just be going along with things. (But I do what I want anyway). </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I hadn't been away with a group in quite some time, and I decided to be open to just doing whatever everyone wanted to do. Well. it all worked out great. And the bonus? So everyone but me was an early to bed, early to rise kind of gal - SO not me. And the great thing was that I didn't get all pissy when they were ready to call it a night, and they didn't get all pissy when I chose to stay out late on my own. I like to call that a win/win situation. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now I know to some of you, this is not a big deal. You are sitting there going, "yeah, so"? But it is, because it got me to thinking about the quality of people I allow into my life. This is not to say that I think I am better than anyone (ok maybe sometimes), but I don't mean it in a judgmental way. I mean it in a "what are you bringing to the table" kind of way. I have too often in my life found myself in circles of people who are all about drama and dysfunction. I have worked hard to overcome that and just say no to it. And so, it was a BIG DEAL to find myself with a group of friends who are so like minded! Wow! It only goes to show that the universe listens and brings us what we ask for. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So. Now I find myself struggling with a couple of friendships that are just not working. All I can really do is let go and hope they sort themselves out. And that makes me sad. But, I have arrived at a place in my life where I know it is not all up to me to make a friendship work, it is a 2 way street. I've said this before - we put our time, attention and energy into the things that matter the most. Truly we do. And that is how it should be. And, I have to be honest here. I have not put my share of time and attention into one particular friendship. So, where does that leave things if neither party are just not all that into it? I guess all I can do is just wait and see.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm not convinced that I am a great friend. I think I missed a few social skills along the way. I try, but now and then I come up short. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyway,. Life is good. It has been for some time, and for this I am grateful. I have amazing people in my life. I have a good job. I have a great place to live. I am in good health. I have a terrific family. If there was one thing I would change it would be to just slow things down. There is so much I want to do and I just want to savor every moment and not be rushing from one thing to the next. Oh and maybe I would also like to be a better housekeeper. I used to be practically anal about keeping the house clean. What happened?</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-12148929217887732052011-07-23T21:57:00.000-04:002011-07-23T21:57:28.427-04:00FamilyMine.is.awesome. And today, it just got WAY bigger!! My brother, who I absolutely love unconditionally, got married today. It was the most real, beautiful, full of love from all gathered ceremony I have ever had the privilege to attend. Some other time I will post about how awesome my brother is. <br />
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So a few months ago, when he told me they were getting married, I was not on board. At all. I thought it was too soon. His last marriage did not end well, and I guess I am a bit of a mother cub when it comes to him, but I was not going to let someone else come along and take advantage of him. The beauty of our relationship is that I could air my concerns, and he listened. And told me that he heard me. And really loved this woman. And don't get me wrong - I had met her, and she was sweet, and nice, and fun - but you want to marry my brother? Really? Well, you gotta prove yourself woman!<br />
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Now, I don't know this for fact, but I suspect my brother shared it all with his now wife, because that is just who he is, and were the tables turned, I would too.<br />
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The first time I went to my brother's house after she moved in, I will say, I was well, a little anxious. All these people had moved into what I considered my family home - and I was I admit, scared, that it just wouldn't be the same, and I was going to lose my safe haven. My issues. So I went there, and yup - it just wasn't the same. IT WAS EVEN BETTER!!!!! The energy in that home, and the people there, well they were just awesome. And I felt bad that I had had so many misgivings. And I patted myself on the back for being open to the possibilities. <br />
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And I realize why. Because I always wanted a sister. Really, I did. And the last person who called me sister, well, she really ripped my heart out. And I had to deal with that, and put it into perspective. And separate the "no one is EVER going to take advantage of MY brother again" from who this new woman in his life was. And I appreciate that she gave me the space to do that, and never took it personally, and has never been anything other than genuine and kind to me. Exactly what I would want for my brother. Oh. Yeah, Melissa, connect the dots. I have witnessed over the past months how happy my brother is, not because he is in this relationship, but because he is happy with who he is, and she is happy with who she is, and they complement each other. <br />
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I am sending them the link to this. I am tired. I am emotional (in a good, no make that GREAT way.)<br />
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I am feeling very blessed right now to know the people I call family. They are a small lot, But it's quality, not quantity as I like to say. WE are blessed. And today, the people I call family have expanded. I have neices - YAY!!! <br />
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I also got to meet my cousin, who I have know existed since I was 15 (35 years!) and never met - and felt an instant connection with. And her kids are awesome! Anyway, my heart is very full, and I am very tired, but in a good way for sure. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDaTCJ5kEj4qy46eHL2IhyuA-r50JlW1cnGr_KoCEKOepC5xiHiVUK2Cjah0T7z09ue_qqyJlYJn_XpalRbaLxO6iXJhk_vzshRM9p-J5H4t4kDBFyzLxRl0T6_Pth9pRqT3daaY0LH0w/s1600/IMAG0525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDaTCJ5kEj4qy46eHL2IhyuA-r50JlW1cnGr_KoCEKOepC5xiHiVUK2Cjah0T7z09ue_qqyJlYJn_XpalRbaLxO6iXJhk_vzshRM9p-J5H4t4kDBFyzLxRl0T6_Pth9pRqT3daaY0LH0w/s320/IMAG0525.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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It's the only picture I took today. I just needed to be present and there were plenty of others taking pics which I will share at a later date. <br />
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Today was just perfect. I am blessed!!!yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-61329009700315939142011-02-08T20:37:00.002-05:002011-02-08T20:43:01.469-05:00Dusting off the Blog and a recipe<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And it has been a LONG while since I have wandered around here!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Life is good. Most would find my life boring, but I am way content.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Baseball is on the horizon. And spring. And the pool. And summer which I love the most.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Work is good. Tolerable. Friends have had challenges - me no likee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Made this recipe from Bon Appetit on Saturday. Heated up leftovers tonight - tis true, lasagna improves with age! It really was delish, but I really dislike the way Bon Appetit presents their recipes. I am going to re-write it so it is in sync with the way my brain works when I cook. I am all about multi-tasking, and this recipe was not my friend in that way. But that's ok, I can rework it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But yeah...life is good for the most part. Content. Finally!!! Restless used to be a way of life - no more!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/01/swiss_chard_lasagna_with_ricotta_and_mushrooms</span><br /></span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-26084139638198136662010-05-11T19:18:00.003-04:002010-05-11T19:27:36.434-04:00Thanks Bill - great idea!!<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I received the following e-mail today from none other than our former President, Bill Clinton!!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Dear Melissa, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">During the 2008 campaign I had the opportunity to meet Hillary's supporters from all over the country. I met so many wonderful people and had so many great conversations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A few months ago, I had a chance to do that again, when the campaign flew one of Hillary's biggest supporters, who won our previous contest, to New York to visit me. We talked about how Hillary's doing as Secretary of State and the current state of the world, and about the work of my foundation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I had such a good time that I'd like to do it again. How would you like the chance to come up to New York and spend a day with me? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Hillary's campaign still has a few vestiges of debt that I know she would like to see paid in full. Will you reach out today to help Hillary this one last time? If you enter between now and May 18th, you might join me for a day in New York.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://links.hillaryclinton.com/ctt?kn=5&m=2991741&r=ODgxMTE3MTA5MwS2&b=0&j=MTc5ODY5MTA2S0&mt=1&rt=0" name="contribute_hillarycampaign2008"><strong>Click here to help pay down the last of our campaign debt, and we might fly you to New York to spend the day with me.</strong></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm so proud of the work Hillary has done as Secretary of State, traveling the world, restoring the country's alliances, and making America stronger. And as I watch health care reform sweep the country, I can't help but think about how much she has contributed over the years to make the progress we are making possible. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I know you share my pride in all her accomplishments, and I know how much your continued support means to her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And yes, she still needs your help. That's why we're going to choose one supporter who enters between now and May 18th and fly them and a guest to New York, where they'll spend a day with me.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://links.hillaryclinton.com/ctt?kn=5&m=2991741&r=ODgxMTE3MTA5MwS2&b=0&j=MTc5ODY5MTA2S0&mt=1&rt=0" name="contribute_hillarycampaign2008"><strong>Contribute $5 or more today for your chance to join me for a day in New York City.</strong></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Thank you for the wonderful support you've shown to both me and Hillary over the years. Our lives are richer for knowing you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Sincerely,</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Bill Clinton </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">How fabulous is this? For a mere $5 I could have the chance to spend the day with Bill Clinton! You can imagine my disappointment though...unfortunately, I need to use that $5 to pay down my own debt. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But it gave me a great idea! I mean, I have a fair share of debt, those student loans are going to be around at least another 10 years, you know? And the Clintons...well...don't get me wrong now, but something tells me they have the means to pay off their debt much easier than I do, just saying. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So...why not send that money to me instead? Seriously...send me at least $5 and I will enter your name into a drawing to spend the day with me! I can come over and we can, I don't know, rent some movies and I'll make a yummy meal for you. I think that's a pretty good deal! So leave me some love in the comments if you're interested, 'k?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And thanks Bill, I think those student loans of mine are soon going to be paid</span><br /><br /></span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-47695346396417894402010-03-16T17:39:00.008-04:002010-03-16T18:22:45.765-04:00Guest Blogger<span style="font-family: arial;">Hi it's me, Rusty. My mom said she was playing "hooky" today. I have no idea what kind of game that is, or when she actually played it. But she took my and my sister Sabre to the beach and we had a really fun time and she let me take some pictures!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PQJbeMTCxW3ViZGddKX9IAnuWbvFV9gtTqxdhyphenhyphenH-LuLK064w0NStI0NrLW99Mgw3Crp6ZTvG9BkLCoGzxxoR4xTqckQWgjfwxPHvsudoAnyO4VYlTPrFG-TyEFouRyVrL7YhKjh_UxNg/s1600-h/IMG00291.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PQJbeMTCxW3ViZGddKX9IAnuWbvFV9gtTqxdhyphenhyphenH-LuLK064w0NStI0NrLW99Mgw3Crp6ZTvG9BkLCoGzxxoR4xTqckQWgjfwxPHvsudoAnyO4VYlTPrFG-TyEFouRyVrL7YhKjh_UxNg/s320/IMG00291.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449350858789297666" border="0" /></a>The waves were REALLY BIG! Bigger than me! My mom says the beach was eroded and that there were huge piles of sand everywhere. Well, I don't know what that means, but all I can say is that when you are only like 2 feet about the ground, EVERYTHING is huge! That pile of stuff in the sand smelled really good to me and Sabre. Mom says it is "lobz-tah traps".<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoMbIOTyQp9OJuOr6evDhPOseEpwkNbhAxAS95k22C1f0hMMbSkOe1Is9wZpd0JZkoZ68WVlZ9GatyNwH8gfSvz08kx7OizkvZ-f1m-1q3cMSc0zwXH8DbPPjsBziCMSEABKQAyoI-liV/s1600-h/IMG00294.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoMbIOTyQp9OJuOr6evDhPOseEpwkNbhAxAS95k22C1f0hMMbSkOe1Is9wZpd0JZkoZ68WVlZ9GatyNwH8gfSvz08kx7OizkvZ-f1m-1q3cMSc0zwXH8DbPPjsBziCMSEABKQAyoI-liV/s320/IMG00294.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449350864612231090" border="0" /></a>I stuck my toes in. Chilly!!! Bichons were not meant for this. Where is the hot tub?<br /></div><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxchjwRz5dfTNEHdJL8E0P9yKAJ5d4mQDbbwQoyIt_sGIYOScTzyP_ZSPM5wM9tIslx5PtvzTQ75t5DxA7YCuhL5oXS2UqP4mdiEyOVLVMJwBDpESsd0XhZy6sm1KKbso2r0D3MMnKa5CR/s1600-h/IMG00295.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxchjwRz5dfTNEHdJL8E0P9yKAJ5d4mQDbbwQoyIt_sGIYOScTzyP_ZSPM5wM9tIslx5PtvzTQ75t5DxA7YCuhL5oXS2UqP4mdiEyOVLVMJwBDpESsd0XhZy6sm1KKbso2r0D3MMnKa5CR/s320/IMG00295.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449350874278981474" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;">Mom stuck her toes in too. Me and Sabre are laffin' at her because a BIG wave came and got her pants wet. She wasn't paying attention. You would have laffed too!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVDVMnLxv5iZNb3IPJJBbefN_ZaxdJnljLbuEhW_G8RGk_lT_QUpMbXA-JIeST3M6tz8BjbC9z30ogs47WWUoMqHYYYO0UonnUvjbZhR2yNatV2fU61TkI7dJrlhal5rB9fehG0Z-E48h/s1600-h/IMG00296.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVDVMnLxv5iZNb3IPJJBbefN_ZaxdJnljLbuEhW_G8RGk_lT_QUpMbXA-JIeST3M6tz8BjbC9z30ogs47WWUoMqHYYYO0UonnUvjbZhR2yNatV2fU61TkI7dJrlhal5rB9fehG0Z-E48h/s320/IMG00296.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449350879819720402" border="0" /></a>Mom made me take a picture of her toes to prove she really did go in.<br /></div><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q1y9nWlzFhuwvycPKDUhOvt3GiMcHX07mWq64hC_0jRCU-8JOF7i8pIVwJ-cgEJvLz8xquvFYMzS0jGDhuSlF6LjpSoAkN3SNjI1KkqkAmSmwocFNocEBJDt6m3TPWMygvLOkBUkJv29/s1600-h/IMG00297.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q1y9nWlzFhuwvycPKDUhOvt3GiMcHX07mWq64hC_0jRCU-8JOF7i8pIVwJ-cgEJvLz8xquvFYMzS0jGDhuSlF6LjpSoAkN3SNjI1KkqkAmSmwocFNocEBJDt6m3TPWMygvLOkBUkJv29/s320/IMG00297.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449353671036243058" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;">We made a new friend. He hung with us for a long time, and he had a leash on...but we couldn't figure out who his people were and hope he is ok...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6OZKdy0qQS_lIZhOzvhXsXOz7bFNL3l7oth3iHRhBmbBiMRSbjCObgOxiEkQrcew4GDRTSrt6rreYADOq4SjAeoXOKDN9EyY0v9g-L1xVuTy8U5sDrMJSmb5RgOhZveCRAXWw0daHu0j/s1600-h/IMG00299.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6OZKdy0qQS_lIZhOzvhXsXOz7bFNL3l7oth3iHRhBmbBiMRSbjCObgOxiEkQrcew4GDRTSrt6rreYADOq4SjAeoXOKDN9EyY0v9g-L1xVuTy8U5sDrMJSmb5RgOhZveCRAXWw0daHu0j/s320/IMG00299.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449353665384841474" border="0" /></a>Hi Mom!!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2zSrh92TwZKUjg09JuBsVTEvogVusmUmfgBcmtg_sUWPCKA6ShVP1XO-fqoZRcvHGNPDBAYh9zAC5ICWnP38RVPXhBliEZHfw5tqvOhpAFXDoZt4eEDW3sXe6iYd2snavIralcDJncJ6/s1600-h/IMG00300.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2zSrh92TwZKUjg09JuBsVTEvogVusmUmfgBcmtg_sUWPCKA6ShVP1XO-fqoZRcvHGNPDBAYh9zAC5ICWnP38RVPXhBliEZHfw5tqvOhpAFXDoZt4eEDW3sXe6iYd2snavIralcDJncJ6/s320/IMG00300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449353666027740530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Mom's trying to dry her pants off in the sun...</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnnIV82Gsi19J06Bx5KqSzfy1mXvUV2nboTD_8XSdbktWRtR3UhcNgViexZXqqkEHoESRXWKvKKHmdFMHK_p4RHqB8flZ2Y_3XwXa1olhjwuEjPk91RriFvvyvASlYUf7l8NwbMTBIwDb/s1600-h/IMG00305.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnnIV82Gsi19J06Bx5KqSzfy1mXvUV2nboTD_8XSdbktWRtR3UhcNgViexZXqqkEHoESRXWKvKKHmdFMHK_p4RHqB8flZ2Y_3XwXa1olhjwuEjPk91RriFvvyvASlYUf7l8NwbMTBIwDb/s320/IMG00305.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449353659195901746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">We sat on this log for a while and rested.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cp4M-ztkWbHAljLt2LSR3LGDLHh4q_CHdXLm0RuoUGXhS0vG-2aizrr11z4QXF-BkzdkME5XdCuuO4jcDQZNdWTRhWkY9WHuzcoe1OFMP_DRdmDdG-V3a4kgTznMzALhdJtTznANIUR_/s1600-h/IMG00310.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cp4M-ztkWbHAljLt2LSR3LGDLHh4q_CHdXLm0RuoUGXhS0vG-2aizrr11z4QXF-BkzdkME5XdCuuO4jcDQZNdWTRhWkY9WHuzcoe1OFMP_DRdmDdG-V3a4kgTznMzALhdJtTznANIUR_/s320/IMG00310.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449358147877976994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy my mom got to spend fun time with me today!</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiULVVesKBIx-nlG8nsHKOhH7oZSHKez69SbyTouJYNYbJLy8eVi5DovUEYwmAfW5MFfCE7_aAqvDD6WyOmTBZ6oKujXMwyA9s_u-PR_8Xc6M5Q6rfYuAFp_F28yBlDFpAEwbpWmB92Ni9/s1600-h/IMG00311.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiULVVesKBIx-nlG8nsHKOhH7oZSHKez69SbyTouJYNYbJLy8eVi5DovUEYwmAfW5MFfCE7_aAqvDD6WyOmTBZ6oKujXMwyA9s_u-PR_8Xc6M5Q6rfYuAFp_F28yBlDFpAEwbpWmB92Ni9/s320/IMG00311.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449358144537782210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Sabre is happy too!</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDc8FD9q2d7VIwLQj8GeHBYwZZdgbwZHWT24Nxi190uEiSnWb5PdK6c-dn94TcubdEXDLnjQta7IFg7shLS-DYT4i0J-de8bfLmiAJhW2PhumGEIemk109zFvO3QLA_lC_3VGETpU_rnG/s1600-h/IMG00314.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDc8FD9q2d7VIwLQj8GeHBYwZZdgbwZHWT24Nxi190uEiSnWb5PdK6c-dn94TcubdEXDLnjQta7IFg7shLS-DYT4i0J-de8bfLmiAJhW2PhumGEIemk109zFvO3QLA_lC_3VGETpU_rnG/s320/IMG00314.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449358138701868370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Can we go now? How 'bout now?</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLFC8lZsGPbGSubhQ6kFtQalOZWH6kmWCv1_81TS1UaV95BX_fY0esT6p0-JlVvhBN_u8VplnGU6aPuvzS2Vj-Rfo6FD1ni1nZuzSIc1LhDuK-BZHKgtcRoVfVLDC5WvJmjeSKP8xSG_2/s1600-h/IMG00318.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLFC8lZsGPbGSubhQ6kFtQalOZWH6kmWCv1_81TS1UaV95BX_fY0esT6p0-JlVvhBN_u8VplnGU6aPuvzS2Vj-Rfo6FD1ni1nZuzSIc1LhDuK-BZHKgtcRoVfVLDC5WvJmjeSKP8xSG_2/s320/IMG00318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449358123438807490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">After the beach, mom had to stop at the store. She bought some roast beef. AND SHE SHARED IT WITH US!!! Me and Sabre snuggled up in the back seat for the ride home, VERY content!!</span><br /><br /><br /></div>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com164tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-75841040465129098832010-03-14T20:40:00.007-04:002010-03-14T21:21:17.173-04:00Remember Me<span style="font-family: arial;">WARNING *SPOILER ALERT* REMEMBER ME</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If you plan to see the movie, do NOT read this post!!</span><br><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8k-1NILbzTBRMns_oL2jHrezx1OkepEHg5hT_JN3Zqm1NIs_DtsYU_G-05ODkryBghTjos_RnofUgf3r1GDtMG5pERn6Gakx73HuVeikONY7iKp7At8DmgvBpLGDxK22CRrWFoALn3cE/s1600-h/remember_me_movie_image-11-600x398.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8k-1NILbzTBRMns_oL2jHrezx1OkepEHg5hT_JN3Zqm1NIs_DtsYU_G-05ODkryBghTjos_RnofUgf3r1GDtMG5pERn6Gakx73HuVeikONY7iKp7At8DmgvBpLGDxK22CRrWFoALn3cE/s320/remember_me_movie_image-11-600x398.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448662138107771138" /></a><br /><center> Hey, what are you looking at? She told you not to look! </center><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The biggest problem with Remember Me is the ending. It's brilliant. Because it will stir deep emotions in anyone who remembers 9/11. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Humans by nature avoid the unpleasant. We like to move on and focus on what is pretty. That was not a pretty time for any of us. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tell me what you thought of the movie's ending...cheap cop-out? sacrilege? amazing? I'm curious as to how it moved you. It moved me in my own unique way. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The movie opens with a shot of the twin towers at night. It always unnerves me a bit to see them and then remember they don't exist anymore. </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmM6pHAV6Gl2psv_Ss6ai8VVaETYq9KwmNveLAPJ1ogcqmwBd9oBrgRye7guAVXYNmvUVs_zCy73M-ZOTN6FKnI9wMfkUat5xyqGBVMr3B6nLjtU6DT-r9qXl61bDr6_Epjdv2tkllPCA0/s1600-h/remember_me_movie_image-2-600x398.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmM6pHAV6Gl2psv_Ss6ai8VVaETYq9KwmNveLAPJ1ogcqmwBd9oBrgRye7guAVXYNmvUVs_zCy73M-ZOTN6FKnI9wMfkUat5xyqGBVMr3B6nLjtU6DT-r9qXl61bDr6_Epjdv2tkllPCA0/s320/remember_me_movie_image-2-600x398.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448662134639987490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I'd be lying if I told you I'd have gone to see this movie in a theater if someone other than Robert Pattinson was starring. Normally it would be the kind of movie I would wait and rent. I'm glad I didn't wait. The movie was so much better than the mediocre fluff I feared it would be. The acting was good, the story drew me in. I'm a sucker for the angst anyway. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlDBRoZX3_wG7qD3jgR43bL7RLObiaiwSGR8EmkB2GmPOvYvdFu5c_L36A8EKHeSGZRdD7Wb0KMddQ3dsJHle0dHV7LCpIe52mXOd6_0rmBo3WtpSxrmc_XBABNWsKNnMmUf69igDX9PQ/s1600-h/photo_12_hires.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlDBRoZX3_wG7qD3jgR43bL7RLObiaiwSGR8EmkB2GmPOvYvdFu5c_L36A8EKHeSGZRdD7Wb0KMddQ3dsJHle0dHV7LCpIe52mXOd6_0rmBo3WtpSxrmc_XBABNWsKNnMmUf69igDX9PQ/s320/photo_12_hires.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448662128655209138" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And all was well, until I figured out where the ending was heading. I'm good at figuring out where a story is heading. It is the number 1 delight for me in any book or movie. If the ending surprises me, that is an accomplishment. If I figure it out early on, death sentence. I did not see this one coming. At all. As soon as Tyler was in the elevator and I saw the number 88 flash by, I knew. I'm surprised I didn't gasp out loud. Or maybe I did. All I know is that I got so anxious, everything inside me just clenched up tight and I thought, oh no, please, don' t. As soon as Tyler sat down at his father's desk and saw the pictures on the computer, that was it for me - the tears came. I silently prayed, pleeeeeease don't make this graphic. Please don't show it happening. Please. And, they heard me. It was perfect. Tasteful. Powerful. I personally don't think the ending was a cheap shot, or a cop out, as others have stated. I understand why someone could feel that way. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsLzlFbsiV_jDJ4NbGoWuvrLVzjIeEwQr0gW4eD8OHUmbvaHANU8n3dSZi6OD_lz_uPtwp1fmYZ0vheso_97V3YroKFOWU0Gt611maMpaMUTbAPyWYvCRlF2Sr1fvmJFmh4cBcvCljJaL/s1600-h/remember_me_movie_image-5-600x398.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsLzlFbsiV_jDJ4NbGoWuvrLVzjIeEwQr0gW4eD8OHUmbvaHANU8n3dSZi6OD_lz_uPtwp1fmYZ0vheso_97V3YroKFOWU0Gt611maMpaMUTbAPyWYvCRlF2Sr1fvmJFmh4cBcvCljJaL/s320/remember_me_movie_image-5-600x398.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448662125993201202" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> My friend I saw the movie with shared that she remembered exactly where she was and what she was doing when the planes hit. I know for me, all I wanted to do was get home and make sure my daughter, who was 13 at the time, was safe. I wanted to hug her. I was uncertain that we were all going to be ok. I was terrified.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So how did it make you feel? Angry? Sad? Betrayed?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I know I was happy that when I got home there were people I love more than anything here. I know I am reminded not to take one second of this life for granted. </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUu8-V7AximXB_I4XqGvuyVl4eEaBnznaN-Vx7ST77_jHl9vLkfgcSuRGhkRH8eKi-DnrqqBXQAGg1ev3fmjHDkG9Sy-74sO-48fZxxPgMGQNDiV5RkmPQ5736I15s2doRFMopv2mE5Uq/s1600-h/robert-pattinson-remember-me-still-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUu8-V7AximXB_I4XqGvuyVl4eEaBnznaN-Vx7ST77_jHl9vLkfgcSuRGhkRH8eKi-DnrqqBXQAGg1ev3fmjHDkG9Sy-74sO-48fZxxPgMGQNDiV5RkmPQ5736I15s2doRFMopv2mE5Uq/s320/robert-pattinson-remember-me-still-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448661642975562962" /></a>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-81567312179125758312010-02-04T22:19:00.000-05:002010-02-04T22:20:40.779-05:00Brain Dump<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just got home from the gym, another really great workout. I'm really getting into some good habits and noticing a shift the last couple of weeks. I feel the endorphins kick in about halfway through and I end up doing more than I planned. Weight loss has slowed down a bit. I think it was perhaps August when I really started making an effort, and I'm down 22 pounds. I'm trying not to make it be about the numbers. I am down a size in clothing and that size is getting looser. I'm not dieting. I eat what I want to eat and have learned healthier ways of balancing my intake. I don't ever eat anything I don't like, or don't want, and I don't eat if I am not hungry. That seems to be the key piece that has really changed. I can discern between hungry and not hungry, and truly don't want to eat when I am not hungry. It's a lifestyle, not a diet. I am LOVING the exercise. I've set a goal weight for myself, and when I reach it (21 more pounds) I am going to treat myself to a fitting at the shop in town that specializes in running shoes. I've always wanted to be able to run, but always end up with shin splints. I figure maybe having my feet, and my gait analyzed and getting the right shoes may make that happen. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I have been in my head ALOT today and feel the need to just brain dump. Where to begin. </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.thegeminiweb.com/babyboomer/">This</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> is what started me thinking. Are we going to run out of oil - of course we are, it is a finite resource. The question is...then what? Seriously. I've often wondered if the 2008 car I own will be the last gas powered vehicle I ever own. Of course the bigger question is, how will a decreased supply of oil affect our daily lives? We have grown so used to have everything we need trucked or flown in from all over the world, something that people living 100 years ago could not imagine. We are an instant society. I don't have to wait until July to eat fresh tomatoes, they are in the grocery store daily. Instant gratification. I'm stupid to think that the grocery store is always going to be stocked with everything I need. I need to learn to be more self sufficient. I'm working on it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then there are all the products we have and use in our everyday lives that are powered by fossil fuel. Anything plastic, for instance. That covers alot. And so much of that plastic gets thrown away. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's not the main thing I was thinking about today. Nope, nope. It was the ride home from work tonight that really got my wheels spinning. I started thinking about how spread out we all are. I commute 20 miles each way to work every day. I bet most people travel even farther. 100 years ago, perhaps even 50 years ago, I would have worked much closer to home. Well, since I'm a woman my "place" would most likely have been IN the home. But Mr. Me would have most likely worked in the same town we lived in. Anyway, I suddenly just sort of detached from the grid for moment and took in all the cars on the road, the people in them, isolated, making the same journey day after day. What if my mode of transportation, the gas fueled automobile with every comfort of home could no longer be used and I had to rely on a horse to get around? Well, it would kind of suck seeing as how I am so allergic to them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, my brain is all over the place and now I am tired. I guess the bottom line is I do not like the pace of life out there and I want mine to slow down. I do love my technology, but honestly? I could walk away from it and live a different kind of life. Maybe I should go live with the Amish. </span><br /></span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-91206471354241377152010-01-24T19:19:00.003-05:002010-01-24T19:35:24.463-05:00Comfort Food<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mac and cheese. The ultimate comfort food, no? If you have ever had my homemade mac and cheese, you have most likely ended up proposing marriage to me. Which I politely decline, because a marriage based on my mac and cheese will only end up with us both on Inside Edition as they cut us out of our home weighing 500+ lbs each. Trust me. There are a month's worth of fat grams in that recipe. And every artery clogging bite is heaven.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think it has been 2 years at least since I have made that. I've found a MUCH less artery clogging meal that serves as comfort food. I made me some tonight, because I'm kind of in a bad mood. Aggravated. Mainly at myself. Planets must not be aligned right or something. Anyway, the following is something I have adapted from a Campbell's soup recipe. You can find on the back of the Cream of Mushroom Soup can (full fat version). Here is my version...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kind of Like Pasta Alfredo - 4 servings</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">2 boneless chicken breasts (optional - I often take this to vegetarian pot lucks and use a tone of veggies)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1/2 box Penne pasta (or pasta of your choice - doesn't matter)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1 can 98% fat free Cream of Mushroom soup. (I buy store brand)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1 - 2 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese. (or use 1/4 - 1/2c of the already grated crap)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">4 oz. fresh mushrooms</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">2 tbsp olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1 tbsp butter</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1/4 c skim milk</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Boil water for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli to the last 4 minutes of cooking time. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Drain pasta and broccoli.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">When 4 minutes are left on</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Heat olive oil over medium high heat.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Add chicken and saute until cooked. Remove.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Melt butter in same pan. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Add the can of soup and the milk. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Increase heat and stir until bubbly.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Add parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until melted.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Add in pasta, broccoli and chicken. Stir well.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cover and reduce heat to low for 10 minutes.</span><br /><br /><br /><object style="font-family: verdana;" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b7zkDzFpcDY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b7zkDzFpcDY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-6956002211632885492010-01-24T19:04:00.002-05:002010-01-24T19:18:59.795-05:00Channeling my inner Julia<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The first 2 videos are what I made for dinner last night. Recipe follows...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wILUDp3dBBY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wILUDp3dBBY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EibXfZKuXv4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EibXfZKuXv4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Baby Spinach Stir Fry - 1 serving</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ingredients:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">2 TBSP Olive Oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">pinch salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence, or Italian Season, or any blend of herbs you like</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1/4 vidalia onion, coarsely chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 handfull pinenuts</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1/3 package ( or 2 handfulls) baby spinach, remove stems</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 egg, whisked</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 oz. grated cheese, or goat cheese</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Heat oil in wok, or large skillet. lower heat to between medium low - medium. Add onion. Sprinkle salt over onion. Stir often, allowing onion to sweat and begin carmelizing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When onions begin to carmelize, add pine nuts and herbs. Toss to coat in oil. Continue stirring frequently.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When pine nuts start to toast, add spinach. Toss to coat in oil. Lower heat to medium low. Cook until spinach reduces in size, about 4 min.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Add egg and stir continuously. When egg is cooked, add cheese and cook until cheese melts.</span></span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-1364923871586694652010-01-20T21:46:00.006-05:002010-01-20T22:06:54.612-05:00WNBP*<ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">How is it that 3+ months have passed since I have blogged?</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Every Lady Gaga song I hear, she says "gaga". Is that really necessary?</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I meet with a group of people twice a month to talk about stuff.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">This week's topic was "What are you passionate about."</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I'm passionate about many things.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I was feeling very superficial though and thought about things like knitting, and baseball.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">But mostly I spoke about local food.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Tonight I was at the grocery store and I looked at all the pale vegetables of winter who have traveled so far in trucks that use up the oil we are running out of.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I wondered what they do with all the produce that spoils that they can't sell.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I just made a note to call them tomorrow and ask.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Me and Rusty are eating blah summer squash. It is a pale imitation of the yumminess I ate a few months ago.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I can't wait for the farmers markets to start up again.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">This year I would like to plan for fall and winter, perhaps can or freeze some veggies. </span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Why is it called "canning" when glass jars are used?</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">So back to the topic of what I am passionate about. I thought alot more about that tonight.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">And I made a connection (kind of like connecting the dots - I used to LOVE doing those when I was a kid) between the local food and a couple of other ideas that have floated around in my head for years now.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Tomorrow I start writing my proposal/business plan. I have no idea what it will be - I will allow the process to unfold.<br /></span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Tell me what you are passionate about. I really want to know.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I challenge you the next time you grocery shop to look at every single label on everything you put in your cart and see where it comes from.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Post a comment about this. Where was the furthest place? The nearest? Any surprises?</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">No judgement. Promise.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Pitchers and catchers report 2/19. 31 days. SQEEEEEE!!!</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I really want to re-design this blog...</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">If you have a blog and would like me to link to it, let me know!<br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >*Wednesday Night Bullet Post (idea swiped from <a href="http://sheepishannie.blogspot.com/">Sheepish Annie</a>)</span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-70992970263201648162009-10-13T21:57:00.004-04:002009-10-13T23:07:26.087-04:00Great Night<span style="font-family:arial;">Ever decide to do something, not really knowing what it was you were signing up for, only trusting that it felt like the right thing? There have been many of those moments in my life - times when a friend suggested I go somewhere, or try something new. Or times I noticed the signs and followed them. And trust me, I am not a person who normally does </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >anything </span><span style="font-family:arial;">without careful thought and planning - but there are times when it just </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >feels</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> like the absolute right thing and the head is not involved. I guess it's what you call that "gut feeling". Mine has </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >never</span> <span style="font-family: arial;">steered me wrong. Ever. Not once. How cool is that? I think it is very cool. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So recently a friend I have known for a long time but not really seen much the last few years, reached out and asked me if I wanted to come to this group she was starting up. And it felt like the right thing to do, so I said yes. And I am so glad that I did! For one thing, it is nice to be connecting with her again, along with another woman I haven't seen in a few years and really like. And there were new people there and yeah, I just see it working. I have learned not to question what feels right and just trust. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So tonight I sat with this group of people and we talked about spirituality. And we all shared and we all listened and I came away just feeling really good and connected and, most importantly, that I am doing something good for my spiritual health. Because it's so easy to be all spiritual and mindful when the bottom drops out and things fall apart. Oh yeah, then I am all mindful and doing the work. Then a couple years ago, I decided that maybe it made sense to not become complacent and let those spiritually nurturing things fall away until I "needed" them again. That maybe, just </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >maybe</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> if I paid attention and kept working at it when things are going well, well, perhaps I would not get struck down with the spiritual sledgehammer again. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've been looking back over my spiritual journey lately - there is so much I have not thought about before now. It's amazing. I remember the exact moment that the door opened for me. I was 28, mother to an infant, and my life was falling apart. The details are best told another time, but I know without a doubt who it was that showed me to that door. Mere weeks after my daughter was born, my cousin took her own life. We were only 4 months apart in age and growing up, I had adored her. We were like sisters. In spite of the many, many rifts in our family, we had managed to stay close. But, shit happened, and she and her siblings had severed ties with my side of the family, once again. Anyway, I had no idea what had been going on, until it was too late. A few months after that, I went to this womens weekend retreat. I was petrified, the only reason I went was because my therapist was one of the facilitators and she really thought it would be good for me. Well, let me tell you, the door flew open to me that weekend. I heard, saw and experienced things I never knew existed. Meditation. Crystals. Tarot cards. A safe, nurturing space. I left there and I knew I wanted more. And, I never looked back. Shortly after that weekend, I was meditating, and I received a message from my cousin. She was the one who had led me to this open door. Her message was simple. Don't end up like me. Please. 20 years have passed and here I am. So grateful for everything in my life, good and bad. So grateful that I </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >know</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> I have not only been guided, but that I also trusted that "gut feeling" to know I was being led in the right direction. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Tonight has been a full circle for me. I'm sitting back and kind of feeling "wow". I like my life. I embrace it. Because 30 years ago - if someone could have shown me the life I have today - I would not have thought it possible.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, to answer tonight's question: "Do you think spirituality is important? Why or why not". You bet I do! See above :o)</span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-46844893307561728622009-10-11T10:57:00.003-04:002009-10-11T11:17:42.428-04:00More thoughts on eating local...I had a small epiphany this morning as I was putting together the fixings for pot roast. I realized that when I start a new endeavor, that I have the expectation that it will be difficult. When it turns out to not be difficult (most things are not difficult, at least in my experience), at first I feel as though I must be doing it wrong. Or not good enough. When that is just not true. Because I know this about myself - when I take on a project, a task, learning a new skill - whatever - I give it my all. I don't give up easy, if at all. I've always had this belief, even as a kid, that everything is possible and I will find the way to make it happen. I digress...<br /><br />These were the thoughts I was having this morning as I was slicing up the most perfect,delicious smelling, local, organic carrots. You see, I have found that one of the differences between the carrots at the grocery and the carrots in my hand is that the local ones come with a story. When I cut into those carrots I thought about how much I love going to the market on my way home every Thursday, and how delightful this one particular small organic stand is - the people running it are so nice and I swear their produce is actually <span style="font-style: italic;">happy!</span> And I observed how long and perfect these carrots were, compared to some of the shorter and stubby ones alot of the other farmers have. I imagined rich, damp earth that nurtured these carrots until they were ready to be pulled and delivered to my kitchen. Those bagged Bunny Luvs at the grocery store - they have never told me a story. We have no history. I don't know where they were grown. Not to mention that they lack the same flavor. <br /><br />Then I thought about the meat. It's the meat part of the challenge that I am struggling with. Buying local meat at the local store is expensive. I didn't budget well for that. Next year I will start purchasing extra meat all through the summer and freezing it. I'll have to buy a small freezer, but they are pretty inexpensive. Plus it will get me back in the habit of making more of my own pet food again, and that will save me some money as well.<br /><br />So aside from still buying about half of my meat and chicken from the grocery store...I'm really doing pretty good with the challenge. I realize I had the expectation that this was going to be difficult, and in reality, I realize just how much of my day to day eating DOES come from local sources! So go me! I've made some really great changes in the last year or so. I also make a point when I find new local items at the grocery store, to find the store manager and let them know that I appreciate they are carrying local products. <br /><br />So October is nearing the half-way point. I promise November blogging will not be about food! Well, not entirely anyway. It won't be about baseball either, because my boys, well, they are just not there this year. Sorry, it has to be said, I cannot live in denial. They are not a world series team this year. I don't know what happened, or what they can do to fix it...I still love 'em though and will be counting down the days to spring training!yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-63633153357369981332009-10-10T20:12:00.003-04:002009-10-10T22:38:33.900-04:00Eat Local Challenge UpdateSo much for my best intentions of blogging about the challenge. It's going ok. I could do better. More important to me right now though is not sabotaging my weight loss/getting in shape goals. There have been times when I have added some Kashi cereal to my local yogurt. I have shopped the farmers market every week and most of my food has come from there.<br /><br />One of the nicest things I have realized is that I have become a person who can take inventory of the food that is on hand and whip something up. I used to be the kind of person who first found a recipe, then went out and bought the ingredients. Belonging to the CSA last year taught me to think differently. I never knew what ingredients I would find in my bag each week and the challenge was to use everything.<br /><br />Tonight I am cooking up a new recipe. I bought a squash - not sure what kind, and I forget what the girl at the market told me it was. But she went on and on about how she loves to stuff these particular squashes with whatever and make a meal out of it. So, that's what is in the oven. I found some sausage - Mailhot's, from Lewiston, ME. It's not preservative free, but I didn't want to risk my expensive local sausage on a new recipe. So, I cooked up 1/2 lb of sausage with a small onion, a stalk of celery, (all chopped) and I pressed a large clove of garlic. Then I added some chopped carrots and mushrooms. The mushrooms and the celery were not local, everything else is. I mixed up the cooked ingredients with 1/2 chopped apple (honey crisp) and 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (made in Boston). Then I cleaned out the squash much like a pumpkin and added the stuffing.<br /><br />Then I stopped writing this blog entry, did some stuff around the house, and now it is after eating my concoction. Wow...it was SO YUMMY!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkbbqCjJOjG3sUZFYgnVQAYDeRhQ29JaxW4KHocu1YyCzdYgExPtMrJ3wdARdZesJ_4W42tNMVsMyBzWupU2rPp7Aon0-Lj9uZZc6jXbzyHzG5GrU0LM3aRFrwvDuSHHVKjR3gjRiNmTz/s1600-h/100_1985.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkbbqCjJOjG3sUZFYgnVQAYDeRhQ29JaxW4KHocu1YyCzdYgExPtMrJ3wdARdZesJ_4W42tNMVsMyBzWupU2rPp7Aon0-Lj9uZZc6jXbzyHzG5GrU0LM3aRFrwvDuSHHVKjR3gjRiNmTz/s320/100_1985.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391164903853081058" border="0" /></a><br />I cut it in half and ate that for dinner. I'll have the other half tomorrow before the movie (going to see Whip It - can't WAIT!)<br /><br />I feel good about my mainly local feast, since for lunch I went to <a href="http://www.antiquiteastearoom.com/">Antiquities</a> with some most awesome Manchvegas knitters!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVyruP7PBvTo-qchUu4JhTv0c1p6Db_-lkjM_vHOA-ZOhHz9UqrWh7tlLcJ4DwgsyMZm1g9U6UD7PLPD095MK8IQPjjtjIjeyiCtctDBzZ1nJe_RlVm5YSRQZlQux4ht1FGF2Yxc1_5tq/s1600-h/100B1970.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVyruP7PBvTo-qchUu4JhTv0c1p6Db_-lkjM_vHOA-ZOhHz9UqrWh7tlLcJ4DwgsyMZm1g9U6UD7PLPD095MK8IQPjjtjIjeyiCtctDBzZ1nJe_RlVm5YSRQZlQux4ht1FGF2Yxc1_5tq/s320/100B1970.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391164909590514594" border="0" /></a>I hope we do it again next year...I love my knittahs!!!yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-68972997685017918792009-09-28T22:01:00.002-04:002009-09-28T22:04:15.509-04:00I (sort of) have a planMy Eating Local Manifesto:<br /><br />1. Eat only vegetables, fruits, meat, cheese,dairy, poultry, meat and fish raised or grown within<br /> a 250 mi radius of Manchester, NH.<br />2. To learn more about the sources of the<br /> grains I eat.<br />3. Drink coffee only from local roasters<br />4. Drink Tap Water.<br />5. Buy as much food as possible from<br /> farmer's markets<br />6. When I eat out, pick restaurants known<br /> to source most of their food locally if possible.<br />7. Eat out less, cook home more.<br /><br />Exemptions:<br />Spices<br />Oils<br />Coffee (though will only purchase from local roasters)<br />rice<br />broccoli - because I love it. once a week.<br />meals prepared by others<br />meals prepared for houseguests<br />food purchased prior to 10/1/09 if it will go bad unless eaten.<br /><br /><br />Sources:<br /><br />Eggs: Local farmers market, A-market or Nellie's Nest<br /><br />Seafood: fresh available in Boston and Portland, can be frozen. Eat seafood at least 3 x week<br /><br />Butter: Kates Handmade Butter<br /><br />Dairy: Local farmers market, Stonyfield Farms, Cabot Creamery<br />Chicken/Meat: A-Market, Local farmers market<br /><br />Vegetables/fruits - Local Farmers Market, A-Market, Macks apples<br /><br />Coffee: Green Mountain or New England Coffee. Also see what A-Market has<br /><br />Alcohol: Local beer available<br /><br />Bread: bake my own whenever possible, or only buy local<br /><br />Pasta: only homemade<br /><br />Flour: no local sources, will purchase only King Arthur<br /><br />There may be more to add, but I am breathing a BIG sigh of relief that I am in better shape than I thought. <br /><br />I reserve the right to step out of this challenge if it compromises my commitment to losing weight and exercising!yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-63528971053801941142009-09-27T00:34:00.003-04:002009-09-27T00:37:22.347-04:00DeadlineI am not ready for the challenge!! Or, maybe I am, and I just don't realize it? I wanted to plan this much better than I have - and I didn't. I guess it will be what it will be. Right now there are so many things that need my attention and I am on overload. The best thing I can do right now is sleep. I can do this!!yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-25191318014078493922009-09-09T21:59:00.003-04:002009-09-09T22:28:03.882-04:00Something fishy...Decided to google some local options for fresh local fish. There are a couple of options in Cambridge I will check out when I am down there visiting Cindi. And a couple more in Portland, ME I will check out when I visit the family later this month. I figure I can bring a cooler and buy enough for a couple of weeks, which when you think about it, for one person won't be alot really. Here are the places I will be looking at. If you know anything about any of them, please share!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.brownetrading.com/fresh_seafood/fresh_american_seafood/">Browne Trading Company</a> - Portland, ME<br />From the website, it looks like they only sell large poundage/whole fish. Not interested in cleaning fish!! I'll go check them out anyway.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.freerangefish.com/retail.asp">Free Range Fish</a> - Portland, ME<br />I can't wait to check this place out, from what I see on the website they have everything I am looking for - scallops, clams, and haddock - all local!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.harborfish.com/market/index.php">Harbor Fish Market</a> - Portland, ME<br />This one looks promising as well<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newdealfishmarket.com/">New Deal Fish Market</a> - Cambridge, MA<br />No info on their website, will check them out soon.<br /><a href="http://courthouseseafood.com/market.html"><br />Courthouse Seafood</a> - Cambridge, MA<br />looks to be near New Deal, same day<br /><br /><a href="http://northendfish.com/">Mercato del Mere</a> - North End, Boston<br />This place looks AWESOME!! I think I know where me and Cindi are<br />having dinner next week - somewhere in the North End so I can check this<br />place out. I am certain I can bribe her with the promise of a box of cannolli's from Mike's.<br /><br />I realized today that I am kind of under the gun here to pull this off. Oops. But, that is typically how I operate - think about everything for a very long time then do all the actual work at the last minute and it all works. <br /><br />I think I have seafood/fish covered. Meat and chicken options are available at a local market, and I am going to stock up at the farmers market over the next 5 weeks. And there will be plenty of eggs and cheese. And yogurt. So I have protein covered.<br /><br />Next I will be moving onto grains and pasta! Can you stand the excitement peeps?yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-50586935574220170392009-09-03T21:20:00.003-04:002009-09-03T21:31:38.916-04:00Bread...no SaltSo I had this whole post planned about bread and what my plans are for the Eat Local Challenge...<br /><br />Instead, I am thinking about how unsatisfying today's meals have been. For some reason, I was extra hungry today. I did not plan well for this. Breakfast was yogurt and Kashi. I did eat it about an hour earlier than normal, which may explain why at 11:00 I was ready to raid my lunch bag. Instead, I grabbed one of my "emergency" rations - a Spring Onion Noodle Bowl. It was mediocre to say the least, and it left a really bad taste in my mouth. And it was salty.<br /><br />Moving onto lunch. Part One was a chicken pesto Lean Cuisine. It wasn't bad, I'd have it again. Again though, salty!<br /><br />The salad I threw together, at 4:30, that was the best thing I ate all day!<br /><br />For dinner, I decided to have this shrimp stir fry in a bag thing that has been in my freezer for a month or so. As I was preparing it, I realized that I could have made my own shrimp stirfry and it would have been MUCH better than what I am eating now. Which is SO SALTY!! And then there is all the packaging - 4 plastic bags inside one large bag. And nothing local. Had I made this from scratch, the shrimp, carrots and peas would have been local. Which made me realize that one of the staples of my diet, stir-fry, is going to be very different come October. No soy sauce for starters. I want to keep my exceptions list to a bare minimum. <br /><br />Anyway...today I learned that I need to buy ALOT less packaged food. I see this all in one bag stir fry and think, wow, how convenient! But...I used more dishes than I would have if I started from scratch, and my veggies would have had alot more flavor. Not to mention how much bigger the shrimp would have been!<br /><br />Bread - something to ponder this weekend - hoping to actually make some!!yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-61940322722944030902009-08-31T22:59:00.001-04:002009-08-31T23:00:09.536-04:00White House Garden!How cool is <a href="http://tinyurl.com/mt5gor">this???</a><br /><br />What an awesome example...yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-57760385719970950832009-08-31T21:59:00.003-04:002009-09-03T07:27:16.879-04:00Eating Local - what's it all about?I'm resurrecting the blog to, I hope, chronicle the Eat Local Challenge I am planning for the month of October.<br /><br />Basically what this means is that, with very few exceptions, I make a commitment to eat only food whose origins are in a 250 radius of Manchester, NH, for an entire month. I will blog more about why I am doing this as I go along, for sure.<br /><br />The first I heard about this challenge was in late September of last year, when I stumbled across <a href="http://www.foodonthefood.com/food_on_the_food/2008/09/countdown-to-the-eat-local-challenge.html">this blog</a>. As it was much too late to embark on such an undertaking with only 3 days to prepare, I follwed this brave blogger through her Eat Local adventure. She has 2 little kids and a husband as well. I only have to feed me!<br /><br />Anyway, inspired to at least start looking around and paying attention to where the food I eat comes from, and looking for local alternatives, I decided to participate in October 2009. OK, but want to hear something funny? I thought the Eat Local Challenge was some big national event that people from all over the country were doing! Um...I was wrong. In fact, a visit to their <a href="http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/">website</a> shows that it hasn't been updated since March 2009. Where are you local eaters?<br /><br />I have to say I have done pretty well with finding local sources of some of my food. Note the "some" part. I gotta lotta work to do in September folks if I am going to pull this off!! Now, I do have a rather extensive file I have been compiling of sources of things like flour and oats that I need to sit with and place orders for anything I might need shipped to me by 9/15. I'd like to not do that though, but realistically, I might have to. I will post a blog entry which I will update as I find more, of all the local products/resources I have found so far. And if anyone out there can add to this list, PLEASE leave a comment or email me!!<br /><br />OK, true story. Tonight I decided to get on Google Maps and find my 250 mile radius. I figured I would mainly be making my purchases from NH and ME, which was good because everyone knows most of our potato crop comes from northern Maine, right? Right. And guess how far away Houlton, ME is? over 300 miles. Seriously Maine people, that is one big ass state you have there. And, somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that. I was reminded of a few 8+ hour trips from Boston to Presque Isle chain smoking in my dads old Dodge Dart - but that is another story! So, first lesson learned tonight is that my 250 mile radious extends, if you can believe this, all the way to NYC!! (248 mi, I kid you not). However, I am drawing the line at the Connecticut border. Rhode Island and Massachusetts also make the cut. That said, I am going to try and keep it within a 100 mi radius if at all possible. My local Farmer's Market is going to be very profitable in the next 6 weeks!<br /><br />So, I have alot to do, and alot to write about in the next 30 days prior to starting my challenge. If you want to do it too, let me know. Oh, and on top of this, I have also been tracking what I eat in an attempt to eat healthier (it's working, I've lost 7.5 lbs) and I'm exercising ALOT more and feeling really great!<br /><br />Over dinner last night, my daughter was asking me about how my prepping for this challenge was going. I said good, but that I was stressing a little bit over getting enough protein, as local sources were kinda pricy, so I would have to budget carefully. I mentioned a few other things, and this horrified look crossed her face and she said, "Mom, you're not going to starve, are you?" I assured her that no, I would not starve. I seriously think I could barely eat for a month and live off the fat of this here land. Although with my luck, my body would manage to store fat anyway! (If there is one thing I have learned in the last 4 weeks it's that my body really WILL drop the pounds if I eat more).<br /><br />I will leave you with this thought...over the weekend, a friend mentioned that movie, Food, Inc (which I am going to see this week) and asked "why would you want to know where your food comes from?" My answer - why wouldn't you?yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-54338192647416706262009-02-17T20:28:00.002-05:002009-02-17T21:07:09.146-05:00The Lost WeekI was just putting away my laundry. I don't have a clothes dryer, and so in the winter my clothes hang out on racks in my bedroom for a couple of days to dry. I've gotten used to it, and honestly, clothes take quite a beating in the dryer, so mine stay in better shape. And yes, every now and then I mooch off a family member and do "real" laundry. I digress. What I realized as I put away the clothing I had washed over the weekend is that, with the exception of 1 sweater, and 1 pair of jeans, it was all pjs and sweats. I literally did not wear any "real" clothes until I had to go out in public late Friday afternoon. I lost an entire week of my life to being sick. Wow.<br /><br />I'm fine now. My energy levels are back to normal, just in time to have a party tomorrow night followed by a couple of vacation days with a visit from my brother. Yes, that's correct. A party. A <a href="https://www.liasophia.com/sites/alise127/catalog-intro">Lia Sophia</a> party (jewelry). Which is really kinda funny 'cuz I'm so not a girly-girl, but all of a sudden I like jewelry. If you've met me in real life, you know what I mean. But let me tell you this - I clean up nicely, and can get dressed up when I have to. And honestly? The biggest reason I dress the way I do is not out of comfort. It is because of my feet. They are man feet. Seriously. It literally takes me a couple of weeks of trips to multiple stores to find a pair of dress shoes that work with my feet. Let me restate that - a pair of shoes that I can AFFORD. If I want to spend $100+ for a pair of dress shoes then yes, there are more options. So, my shoe wardrobe consists of a limited amount of Dr. Martens and sneakers. And Birkenstocks and Tevas in the summer. <br /><br />But, I am excited that all my friends from all my circles are coming over tomorrow night. It is going to be a BLAST!<br /><br />Random thought: Just what exactly is American Cheese? Here's what's in <a href="http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Products/ProductInfoDisplay.aspx?SiteId=1&Product=2100060260">Kraft Singles</a>. Not so bad really, I guess. Here's what's in <a href="http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Products/ProductInfoDisplay.aspx?SiteId=1&Product=2100061689">Velveeta</a> (gag). And these are the ingredients in Cabot Cheddar: Pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes. Must be all the other stuff that gives American that plastic quality. Seriously - how many of you love the American cheese? How many of you won't touch the stuff?yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-14374234702657964582009-02-15T12:25:00.001-05:002009-02-15T12:26:46.618-05:00Ah, Spring!<embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/271552990" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=12643173001&playerId=271552990&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="510" height="550" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><br /><br /><a href="http://www.survivinggrady.com/2009/02/glimpse-of-spring.html"><span style="font-size:85%;">swiped from Surviving Grady. Thanks!</span></a>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-57857681559308485122009-02-14T10:21:00.003-05:002009-02-14T10:37:28.369-05:00Self-Love - a great concept!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVHiIfbj-jJ_gnZt69Nyp6lnaBk4QT2NiHXq7NOlxsksTeigQlJOZ2UH4ZH3f4ErV2gOJUNc0o_LbWdBTcQTDXVkUbfv4u0nCpuEPxQOZxMM3OuXExpjAhinf9IIfpL5GOvMLNJ2ECmKv/s1600-h/vdaypourhomme.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVHiIfbj-jJ_gnZt69Nyp6lnaBk4QT2NiHXq7NOlxsksTeigQlJOZ2UH4ZH3f4ErV2gOJUNc0o_LbWdBTcQTDXVkUbfv4u0nCpuEPxQOZxMM3OuXExpjAhinf9IIfpL5GOvMLNJ2ECmKv/s320/vdaypourhomme.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302676167455527682" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://fabulouslyoutthere.blogspot.com/">Fabulous</a> is celebrating Self-Love Day. Go <a href="http://www.snackiepoo.com/blog/2009/02/the-third-annual-self-love-day-is-almost-here/#comments">here</a> for more info on this.<br /><br />It's a great idea! How many of us truly love ourselves? I mean, every little flaw and quirk? The best lesson I have learned, and it's only in the last couple of years that I have put it into practice and really learned it, is that I HAVE to love myself and cultivate a healthy relationship with MYSELF before I can have that with anyone else. Bottom line. And how many of us take the time to cultivate this important relationship with ourselves? It is essential.<br /><br />So, today I am taking myself out for the day. I am including my favorite-est person in the world, the beautiful young woman I am blessed to be a mom to, and we are going to go laugh our way through Cambridge and have a yummy lunch somewhere and visit lots of shops.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg543IunL69THq8FsyK22qXV7nndZi5VHU-USbHSza9CQQgcGfFhIlxla2mP8_nUTp87XwjOFQz3byaanzoeLC8bXNNnn3YnEhIB507M5UscjTb7_5jNiXP9r2qlzHoUykOoqm4QYsTl4RB/s1600-h/100_0918.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg543IunL69THq8FsyK22qXV7nndZi5VHU-USbHSza9CQQgcGfFhIlxla2mP8_nUTp87XwjOFQz3byaanzoeLC8bXNNnn3YnEhIB507M5UscjTb7_5jNiXP9r2qlzHoUykOoqm4QYsTl4RB/s320/100_0918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302676172402783842" border="0" /></a>So, if ya wanna play too, the rules are really simple.<br /><br />1. Post a <a href="http://www.snackiepoo.com/blog/2009/02/the-third-annual-self-love-day-is-almost-here/#comments">banner</a> on your blog - there are a couple to choose from.<br />2. Post one nice thing about yourself……then ask others to post one thing that they really like about you.<br />3. Enjoy yourself!<br /><br />OK - so, here is one nice thing about me... I care very deeply about people and will pretty much do anything for anyone in need.<br /><br />Much love to you all today!!! xoxoxox<br /><p><strong></strong><br /></p>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-33554714699996428502009-01-25T20:36:00.006-05:002009-01-25T21:04:35.323-05:00PilgrimageI don't recall ever having been in the vicinity of Fenway Park in the winter. I'm sure there must have been trips to Lansdowne St. - to places like 15 Landsdowne St and Spit back in the early 80s, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't paying attention to the silent church of all that is Red Sox across the street. No, I'm pretty sure my focus was on those important things like guys (gasp, yes, there was a time I was all about them) and would we meet any good ones at either establishment.<br /><br />I digress.<br /><br />Today I wandered over to Kenmore Square, after depositing the offspring back at school. It really is a matter of 5 minutes or so drive to Fenway from there, when there is no traffic. I was on a mission. I am taking part in a Red Sox Traveling Scarf over on Ravelry. What that means is that a group of us each cast on and start knitting a scarf in any manner we like (there are some guidelines) and then every couple of weeks we mail the scarf in progress to the next person. After it is knitted on by everyone participating, the scarf you started comes back to you, and you are now the proud owner of a good mojo Red Sox scarf that has been a-travelin'. So. The first "scarf" I have received from Christine is the one she will end up with. She lives in Kansas City, but in reality, she is from New England, and a displaced Sox fan (though the Cardinals have Chris Carpenter, from Londonderry, NH, so that at least is something! ). So. I decided that since Christine is not likely to have a chance to bring her scarf to Fenway Park anytime soon, it only seemed right that since I had to go to Cambridge anyway, that her scarf go and visit Fenway!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYqMWeXYOI4Qhk3Ld4qO-t5LtoZI_FBf2usOd6LQNrehk5SL1ZiyGToAA3nPry02qDaI4BXf3bOJRPZ_6i4kIqfoKTnJRCpooaSJNJ0IdklJQyNdKLNn-LPN6Npbbn_zqyqKh_JnzXoGB/s1600-h/100_0922.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYqMWeXYOI4Qhk3Ld4qO-t5LtoZI_FBf2usOd6LQNrehk5SL1ZiyGToAA3nPry02qDaI4BXf3bOJRPZ_6i4kIqfoKTnJRCpooaSJNJ0IdklJQyNdKLNn-LPN6Npbbn_zqyqKh_JnzXoGB/s320/100_0922.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295416768538301314" border="0" /></a>I pulled over on Lansdowne St. (it was FREEZING) and I see this woman walk by my car, with a camera, and proceed to take pictures. I walked over and asked her if she would mind taking my picture, with the Fenway sign in view, and then I pull out the scarf. She turned out to be a charming British gal. I asked her if she was a Sox fan and she most certainly was!! She graciously took a couple of pics. I walked around a bit, and then back to the car - did I mention how cold it was? I circled around to Yawkey Way and tried to get a pic of the Fenway Park stone entrance, but it was too dark by then. I did get some awesome pics of the Citgo sign though, and these were from inside my car!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAlBps4AJ9A8ULQOalVszquKAUpHo9CPl62-OVDViV1QYgpwgiDBQsM-cShWIGq327THVjvDjh-ZKTjoK-pt3lE3cJIIuN4He2KAj4SOB5G7YA_gJIF503znr5fXHsnQk6jnpnzxXDcm2/s1600-h/100_0936.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAlBps4AJ9A8ULQOalVszquKAUpHo9CPl62-OVDViV1QYgpwgiDBQsM-cShWIGq327THVjvDjh-ZKTjoK-pt3lE3cJIIuN4He2KAj4SOB5G7YA_gJIF503znr5fXHsnQk6jnpnzxXDcm2/s200/100_0936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295414743577780914" border="0" /></a>It was so weird to be there on the empty streets. I keep picturing a sunny warm afternoon where the sidewalks and streets are just burting with life. Soon...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3HwEd1lk9LAvP6hhLCKLwPApsWUla4gYq-ytUDAhAqze279s5nknEon0CEP-giQ4unoBejFw1RuPBMfB02NRDK8WE_hwnBtaj6RFb1ooWFQ2kPdifdluSE_h2UwfnAovdgZ9NVJiohoL/s1600-h/100_0924.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3HwEd1lk9LAvP6hhLCKLwPApsWUla4gYq-ytUDAhAqze279s5nknEon0CEP-giQ4unoBejFw1RuPBMfB02NRDK8WE_hwnBtaj6RFb1ooWFQ2kPdifdluSE_h2UwfnAovdgZ9NVJiohoL/s200/100_0924.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295414731328948946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2571254969972190119.post-73370003217718226842009-01-25T10:47:00.003-05:002009-01-25T10:50:53.676-05:00Touchdown Jesus!If you've ever heard me utter those words*, here is the inspiration!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPH8mcXvdcv0WkaSj-u4oyycdSMg-WZ7Q8WHRUWUc8vU8QdpPAd8ZRucXwi-j99BtBbBPH5IFXZVVYgWXFGuBIXcvawdfcM-QPygrfP-xGekfetFcQwfBk5K6ZQIMmfJbLhRndiUoGv4Hb/s1600-h/100_0921.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPH8mcXvdcv0WkaSj-u4oyycdSMg-WZ7Q8WHRUWUc8vU8QdpPAd8ZRucXwi-j99BtBbBPH5IFXZVVYgWXFGuBIXcvawdfcM-QPygrfP-xGekfetFcQwfBk5K6ZQIMmfJbLhRndiUoGv4Hb/s320/100_0921.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295259139619197074" border="0" /></a>*<span style="font-size:78%;">no disrespect meant to my Christian friends</span>yarnslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15685574682251818557noreply@blogger.com3