Random musings

Quote of the day

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be"---Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I thought that somewhere I spoke of my discovery of Seneca apple chips. I'm beginning to think one can become tooooo attached to eating these. Since discovering these a month or 2 ago I have lost count of the number of bags that I have consumed. No they aren't helping in the ongoing quest to rid myself of the 20+ pounds that came back from wherever I had sent them. I want them gone!

I've been pondering my activity level and it isn't what it used to be. I still get in 3-4 days of workouts but the level of intensity isn't what it used to be. I don't lift several days a week and I don't run. I miss them both and have to make the decision that only I can make myself go do them. The Wii is still in the box. It's only been 6 weeks since I opened the package to see what was in it. I had intentions........ Yea, Yea, I know.

The last time I actively ran was less pounds and less age! I did a modified version of the Couch to 5k. I never ran the 5k but could do 3 miles slowly. Here is a 7 week plan that looks interesting. http://www.active.com/running/Articles/How-to-Start-Running-Today.htm



In order to run I need music. With that being said, I need to see if my MP3 player still works and if it does, it still needs NEW music.



I picked up my crochet hooks after a couple of years. I have plans in my head for a hat, headband and a purse. I've done 2 headbands. They're ok. I can use more practice. Let's see how that goes.

I've found plenty of websites with patterns and a knitting/crocheting community at http://www.ravelry.com/

Lots of rambling but that's what I do.

Black Friday

WHEW!

I left home around 4:30 a.m.. I made a trip to Walmart go what I needed and went home to unload the car. Went back out to the 2nd Walmart, had breakfast, went to Big Lot's and then the mall. Went back home to unload again. Made a trip to Old Navy, TJMaxx and Ross. It was getting time for the Iron Bowl and traffic was picking up so I went across the river. I got back home around 8:30 p.m. I'm waiting for sleep to

hit hard!

I found a pair of Naturalizers. The style name is "catchy" they were at both TJMaxx and Marshall's.

This isn't one that I had on a list but it will work.

Did I say that I was whipped?

Anyway, I picked up 2 more jars of Colorset moisturizing treatment and a tube of Philip B Creme rinse. Yea like I needed ANY of them!

I'm still on the hunt for a sweater dress/and or tunic.................

Happy Thanksgiving

Whew!

It took me forever to get logged back in. How many times did I type my username and password!

I know that it's been 3 weeks since I posted but I knew I had the right info. Oh well, I'm in.

The year is quickly passing by. Can it really be Thanksgiving already. Well the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has passed so I guess it's here. We have Black Friday and Cyber Monday to finish out this month. Wow where did it go?

While I was at my favorite spot--Big Lot's. I picked up 3 sets of dvds.

Holiday Family Favorites

Holiday TV Classics

These both consist of 4 dvds of old Christmas movies, cartoons and tv shows.

Some of the cartoons are reaaaaaaaally cheesy but that's ok. It's great to see how far we've come. Many of these are in the public domain and can probably be found online.

They were done by Mill Creek Entertainment

I also got Cartoon Vault. A 4 dvd collector's set.

Popeye, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Merry Melodies, Bugs Bunny, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Kansas City Kitty, Heckyl and Jeckyl, Superman,The Little Monsters and more.

This set is from Vintage Home Entertainment.

I didn't see this exact set on their site but they have other collections.

I still haven't taken time to take the Wii out of the box. I bought it last month and haven't done a thing with it.

I'm trying not to graze but I think I need a snack. It's 1:22 and I didn't have lunch since I ate breakfast while watching most of the parade.

Gotta go check the ads..............

Ear pain

Why does my ear hurt! Not like an earache but sore to the touch. I'm tired of being tired. I got the Jackie Ormes book on Friday and as of 2 p.m. today it hasn't been viewed by moi. My focus just isn't there. I still haven't found new shoes for working out. There are way too many unused broken in shoes under the bed. Still good for bopping around but not for working out. I just don't need that many. Still need to donate the items I culled from the closet. Sighhhhhhh

Jackie Ormes-First African American woman cartoonist

I'm so late on this. In 2008 The University of Michigan Press published 'Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist' by Nancy Goldstein. I had not heard of Mrs. Ormes until today.

http://www.jackieormes.com/

Kansas City Public Library

http://www.kclibrary.org/event/nancy-goldstein-jackie-ormes-first-african-american-woman-cartoonist

Here is an interview with Nancy Goldstein discussing her book.

http://www.archive.org/details/NancyGoldsteinJackieOrmesTheFirstAfricanAmericanWomanCartoonist

Comics Crusader: Remembering Jackie Ormes

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93029000

She began with the Pittsburgh Courier and in 1937-1938 "Dixie to Harlem" was published. She also created "Candy", "Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger", "Torchy in heartbeats".

From the cartoons came the Patty-Jo dolls and the Torchy togs cut out paper dolls.

I've collected dolls and I don't recall the Patty Jo doll. I will check my doll books and see how I missed it. My collection is generally modern porcelain artist dolls so I wasn't out there looking for vintage or antiques. Because these dolls were created as play dolls, finding them in good condition might be tough.

Made by the Terri Lee Company in late 1947-1949. This wasn't the stereotypical African American doll that was found on the market at the time.

I soooo want those Torchy's Togs paper dolls. I'd frame them--LOL!

Trying to borrow the book.

Where are the size 9s!

I have been to at least 12 stores trying to find some shoes. Particularly casual mary jane type.

I saw a few online and because I need to try them on I went searching for them. They had some out there in the stores but did they have a 9? NO! Plus I have a limit on what I want to spend and $50 plus wasn't it.

I didn't try either of these ons. But this is what I was looking for. I did find one and the price was right BUT of course the 9s were gone! Nevermind now that I can't remember the style name.

The search goes on....

Fall bags and shoes

Almost 2 years ago I spotted a wonderful Tignanello purse. It was retail about $160 and though I really liked it, I didn't like it that much. I later saw it on Macy's website on sale. After computing the shipping it put the bag almost back to the retail so that was a no. It is rare that I get attached to something and experience a "gotta have it" moment. While browsing one of my favorites shopping spots I saw "my" bag. TJMaxx had it for $79.99 and that was still more than I wanted to spend but I got it. I got it in black and it's been my everyday bag most of the time. I have others that I carry occasionally but I fall back on this one. I spotted this bag in TJMaxx on clearance much later and briefly considered snagging it but didn't want to pay for it. It may have been about $45-$50! I wasn't thinking that I couldn't find something else I liked as much. My bag is in fairly good condition considering how long I've had it. The straps of course are showing the wear with fraying. So I keep searching for the next "gotta have it" bag.

Today I was browsing again and nothing really jumped out at me. They had a few Tig bags and though they were cheaper than my current bag they didn't say "hey" pick me. I was about to leave the purses when I saw something in the clearance section. I had seen it before but it wasn't "it". I examined it again, held it up and thought this won't work for everyday BUT the soft leather makes it dressier. Add to that the size is smaller. I turned the tag over and stared---$29. Is this right? Hmmm it could work. I had to debate it since it wasn't an everyday bag. I looked back at the manufacturer's tag and retail was $179. What?! Discount was $89. So I got it.

Coming up: Shoes

Purging your clothes closet for fall and winter

I know it's been a month. I've just been lazy---too lazy. I have to get on the ball now. The season is changing and that closet is so unorganized. I'll keep picking the same 5 tops and bottoms if I don't get it together.


If you only have one closet designated for clothing (as so many of us do) then you have to switch out the clothing (shoes too!) that you wear in the spring and summer.

There are numerous books, magazine articles, websites, tv shows, etc. that tell us how to do this. Particularly when dealing with clutter control. We could just take all the things out of the closet, fold them and pack them away until the next season. That's fine but if we do that then we'd never get rid of the stuff we no longer need. So before packing let's ask a few questions.

1. Do I like this garment?

2. Can I still wear this garment---really wear it?

3. Does the garment need mending?

4. If I don't like, can't wear or need the garment can someone else use it?


Apply the questions to each garment. If you still like it, can wear it and it doesn't need mending then place in a pile to be packed. If you like it but can't wear it--ask yourself realistically will you be able to wear it the next season. If you believe you can then keep it. If not, place in the donate pile. Do this for all the clothes in the closet and drawers.
Once those are ready to store or donate then get the fall and winter clothes unpacked.

Apply the same questions to those garments BEFORE you put them in the closet. Honestly if you didn't wear it last year you won't likely wear it this time around unless it was something that didn't fit then and now fits.

An assessment of the garments allows you to rid yourself of excess and allows you to share with someone else. Sometimes you just don't care for something anymore. It no longer suits your lifestyle or fits your personality. Sometimes we have these impulse buys and after a couple of wears realize that it really wasn't right for us. It's ok to let it go. Someone else will love it and that frees up space to get things that you love and things that fit!


This applies to shoes, accessories and undergarments.

Six weeks ago my first post was about letting go. I started and created keep bags and go bags. Guess what they haven't gone anywhere. Find a person or place to donate to and do it!

Re-visits and new discoveries

I don't know why---- but I love magazines, especially free magazines. I know that I can also browse some magazines online and fill my need but I rarely do that. If there are interesting magazines in the "free--take me" pile. I will gather them up and sometimes I even read them.

Awhile back--ok months ago I picked up a pile and in the pile was Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion. Years ago I used to buy this, in fact I found a stash of them I still have. As I was perusing the magazine I thought gee maybe I'll go look for a new issue. I headed over to the website and what did I see?

http://www.maryengelbreit.com/2009/07/30/mary-engelbreits-home-companion-magazine/

As of the July 30, 2009 post it no longer is being published!

Sigh---------- my lack of buying or subscribing wasn't the issue. Mary says that a lack of advertising income did them in. She also named Cottage Living, Domino, O at Home, Home, and Country Home, etc. All of those I have browsed or purchased at some point. I actually snagged Domino, Country Home, Martha Stewart Living and Coastal living from the free pile. I have yet to look at them but it will come.


I love Mary's artwork. Whimsy but not over the top.


Anyway I did a search to see what else of interest has folded. According to Magazine Publishers of America http://www.magazine.org/ I've missed out on (that is something I've read or might have read) :

2000
Dell Pencil Puzzles and Word Games
Official Pencil Puzzles and Word Games
New Woman

2001
Family PC--I remember this when they first started in 1994
Mademoiselle-I used to read this and Glamour back in the day---way back
Mode-A high fashion mag for full figured women--I got rid of my issues when I decided I didn't want to be full figured (it didn't help)--LOL!

2002
Homestyle
Rosie--Oh yea this was the old McCall's. I snagged an April 1952 McCall's from a free pile
Yahoo! Internet Life

2003
Biography
Heart & Soul

2004
Consumer's Research
YM(Young Miss formally known as Calling all girls)---Wayyyy back in the day did I get this. Ok not so far back that it was still called Calling all girls

2005
Disney Magazine
Organic Style

2006
Budget Living
Shop Etc.---I've been getting rid of these and they haven't made the trash yet
Weekend---I think I still have a couple of issues of this too

2007

Blueprint

House & Garden (wow it started in 1885)

Life

2008

Cottage Living

Home

O at Home

PC Magazine (Moving to Web Only)

Quick & Simple

2009
Country Home

Domino

Hallmark

Southern Accents
Teen

Vibe

Just a few of the many no longer being published or have moved to online versions

Need a magazine fix? Peruse these sites.


Full view
Google Books
Archive.org
Zinio
H.E.A.R.T.H.

Covers
Nypl Digital Gallery
MagazineArt.org

There's bound to be more out there.

More muffin mania

Yea I know--what's with the muffins. I like them! Today I made mini muffins. They were bite size and I thought I would eat less but I probably had more than if I had made 6 big ones. I got 21 minis out of the batch. Soooo does that mean that 3.5 are equal to 1 big one--LOL! I guess then I had the equivalent of 1 whole one and a half of one. Anyway they weren't too sweet and had a nice "peachy" taste even though it was artificially flavored. I added a bit of cinnamon to the mix and there you have geniune imitation peach cobbler.

This is what I made

Here's the link to the company Mayberrysfinest

They have other products besides muffins but here are the other muffins

Cinnamon toast

Chocolate chunk cookie dough


Banana chocolate chip


Lemon ice box

Blueberry

Muffin mania

I love muffins .........why? Because I can enjoy a treat without overdoing it. They are small and sweet. Just enough to satisfy the need for "something". BUT! There's a problem. I see soooo many that I want to try and I need small batches so they don't go to waste. It's really easy to do a commercial mix, bake and eat. Ok, now I have the directions to freeze them.

According to the Quaker oats website most muffins freeze well.

Cool them.
Then wrap in foil, freezer wrap or freezer bags.
Label them with the name and date.
Store for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Thaw frozen muffins at room temperature or heat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds or the conventional oven for 10-15 minutes depending on the muffin size.

Ok gotta give it a try because I still have the cranberry orange left and I want another flavor--LOL!

I found packages of mix in the cabinet today. I think it was blueberry, triple berry, banana walnut and something else.

Cookbooks and recipe websites are great but my latest and greatest discovery (I'm late I know) are FOOD BLOGS!!!!

I'm so grateful to these wonderful food bloggers who have the patience and skill to bake these delicious treats from scratch and then share them with the world.



This recipe hit the blogs a couple of years ago and I think people are still discovering it (ok maybe just moi) .

For me this is a weekend project as opposed to spur of the moment workday UNLESS I have mixed the dry ingredients the night before and have everything ready to go the next morning.

Snickerdoodle muffins

http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2007/03/16/cookie-conversion/

Blueberry Sour Cream Corn Muffins Diabetic Recipe
Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup corn meal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

One egg, beaten

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup thawed frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate1

1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

2/3 cup whipped cream cheese

2 tablespoons no-sugar-added blueberry fruit spread

Directions: Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Grease 12 medium-sized muffin cups or line with paper liners; set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Add combined egg, sour cream and apple juice concentrate; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in blueberries.

Spoon batter into prepared cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan on wire rack five minutes. Remove from pan; cool slightly.

Combine cream cheese and fruit spread; serve with warm muffins.

Recipe makes one-dozen Blueberry Sour Cream Corn Muffins.

Breakfast is my fav!

This morning I opened a package of Martha White cranberry orange muffin mix and about 15 minutes later I had some very moist muffins. I'm working on making some from scratch but that might have to be relegated to a saturday morning or a sunday afternoon. Anyway this is what I had along with an omlete/omelette and cantaloupe.

I spotted a blueberry cornmeal recipe and I might have to experiment with it and might even try---gasp! Jiffy mix as the base.

It's September!

The year is quickly rolling by. It seems like New Year's day just passed. It is now 4:19 a.m. and I have been awake for over 30 minutes. I fell asleep before 10 and now i'm up---ughhhh. Watching without a trace and listening to my tummy rumble for food. Yesterday for lunch I had another Sam's choice chicken dish. This one was the Apple, Cranberry, Pecan Stuffed Chicken Breast. This had potential but alas it missed the mark. It is a frozen food nonethe less. This would be good made fresh. I have another one left and I'll eat it but fresh would definitely be delish!

The art of letting go

All day I had ideas pop into my head on "letting go". Letting go of unwanted, unneeded, unloved STUFF. I gathered up some books to refresh my memory on the when, why, how of purging.
Fast forward to 7 p.m. I made an unhealthy dinner choice but again it was something I wanted but my body doesn't need or want it--bleh. I'm now trying to recover from that so that I can start the first step which is analyzing clothes. Do I love it? Can I wear it? Would I wear if I could wear it? Will I ever wear it? Do I even need it?

As I lie here watching TLC's "What not to wear" I know that I need to have the same open eye and let things go. I have failed the idea of taking something out when you buy something new--Ha!

Woooooo part one is done.

I ended up with 1 bag to keep (for now). 2 bags to donate and 1 bag to trash.

I have to pick another spot to focus on. I have another bag of fall/winter clothing that needs analyzing and then there's the closet!!.

Letting go feels great!!!!!!

Fall flavors

The weather seemed cooler today and I started thinking about Fall. Usually I don't think about wassail or mulled cider until it's cold and the holidays. I usually make it in a big batch with orange juice,apple cider, cinnamon,etc. Awhile back I stumbled upon a quick way to make a hot drink and it isn't the pre-packaged cider mix. I had purchased some sugar free drink mixes that you put into your water bottle. I had some orange and some cranberry apple. I mixed the two and added it to hot water. Simple, quick and an alternative version of a cider mix.

Another treat that I thought of is gingerbread cake. Hot and moist. I've only had it from a mix so I may search for a recipe.

Ode to the sweet potato

Sweet potatoes!

Baked, fries,chips, mashed,candied,souffle, casserole, pie, cobbler,cookies, biscuits,waffles, pancakes, muffins, bread, soup, cake, cheesecake,dip,dumplings, ice cream,jam,pudding, pone,ravioli,salad,tart,rolls.

Ok, there are a lot of other things that people have done with my beloved sweet potato but i'm not sure I'd like it.

Hunting the perfect sweet potato pecan muffin recipe.

Weekend haul

I did more shopping on Saturday. I didn't get much because I didn't see anything that I really wanted










I got this skirt on Friday





I wanted this one but neither Kohl's had it in my size









I got a light weight navy cardigan that will work until early Fall.

I also bought the ayurvedic powders I wanted

• Amla
• Aritha
• Heenara Hair Pack
• Kapoor Kachli
• Lodhar
• Maka(bhringraj)
• Multani mati
• Tulsi

Have to find time to use them either as a stand alone paste or mixed with conditioner.

Shopping

After work I stopped for a bit of retail therapy. I miss miss miss Goody's.

I went to Kohls. I had seen several tops on their website that I thought looked promising. I found them, tried them on and put them back. I had picked up extra larges and they hung and I didn't like them well enough to look for larges. I picked up 2 denim skirts as if I NEED another one but I can always use another 1 or 2. Dark denim is lacking in my wardrobe.

life + style® Denim Pencil Skirt ---This one I bought

Axcess pleated Denim Pencil Skirt--Needed another size they didn't have it. It pulled across the hips making the pleat open instead of lying flat


Ok off to Sally's
Being the product junkie that I am I bought more hair products that may not do a thing for me.
I got a tube of Marc Daniels Go Curly serum and a pack of Hair One Olive Oil cleanser




I will try them at some point. Not really sure what to do with the Go Curly but we'll see

Cravings

I did the boot camp workout tonight. I haven't updated my food journal but it shouldn't be bad calorie wise. I'm sure I didn't get as much protein or fiber as I wanted. Earlier today I browsed some food blogs and whyyyyy did I do that. I sooo wanted to eat cupcakes, lime bars, blondies, snickerdoodles, and everything else my tastebuds liked.

After dinner I was craving chocolate. so I opened the refrigerator and the freezer, stared into them, closed them and opened them again thinking something had magically appeared.

Sigh..............

On a good note I didn't eat anything extra.

Sam's Choice: Three Cheese & Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken Breast--review

This was today's lunch choice. I had bought these awhile back and decided I needed something different for lunch. It said to cook at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Well I did this while preparing for work this morning and I think I went over 35 minutes. It wasn't rubbery or tough but a bit done. The jalapeno had a bit of a kick to it but not too much. I could have used more cheese but then I could eat just cheese as well so it was sufficient for the size of the chicken breast. I paired it with a cup of green beans and a baked sweet potato.

The chicken was 240 calories, 8 grams of fat and 34 grams of protein. More fat than I probably needed but will try to keep the rest of the day's intake down.

I liked this and would probably purchase again

Two steps forward, One step back

Today was supposed to be a 2-a-day workout. I got up this morning at 5 to get dressed and just felt like ughhhhhhhhhh. I told myself that it was ok to "rest" so back to bed I went. I got up an hour and a half later and grabbed some juice and started getting breakfast. Juice was a bad idea. The tummy rejected that with a quickness. I got breakfast down and headed out to work. I got to work and made a cup of tea. That wasn't working for me either. I downed a bunch of saltines and a sprite and felt much better. Next came popcorn. I left for a meeting and got back about 2 and decided to eat my lunch-- Grilled chicken salad. About 4 I had some cantaloupe and fresh pineapple. I headed to the gym at 5 and even though I didn't feel perky, I didn't feel horrible like I did yesterday. I made it through the class and when I got home for dinner I had no desire for anything healthy. It was a sloppy joe kind of night with fries and a brownie.

My excuse is that as long as I have this sinus crud and feel sick, I'm just not up to eating clean.
It's an excuse I know. If I eat better maybe I'll feel better but I'm not feeling it.

Bump in the road

I've had intentions of posting for the past 2 days but just haven't felt up to it. The sinus stuff is making it difficult to stay on plan. Yesterday I didn't have enough calories before my evening workout and I felt really bad on my way to the gym. I made a decision to fuel up with the nearest thing which happened to be a McDonald's. I know I could have gotten something simple like a plain chicken sandwich but noooooo that didn't happen. I needed the healing effect of french fries----LOL! I made it the class and home. All would have been well with my food intake for the day if I had stopped there. Later I ate again and that kicked my count way overboard but it's ok. I'll try to keep it balanced and it should be fine.

Cheating or Treating?

I thought about starting this blog off with some finely written explanation of why I was blogging. I decided to go with what popped into my head. I decided last Sunday that I needed to get back on a healthy eating plan. I haven't been eating completely "unhealthy" foods but I have been choosing too many less healthy foods. We're quickly cruising into another season and as I stare into my closet I realize that there are articles of clothing in there I haven't worn during this warm ------ok hot weather. I haven't worn them because they are a bit too snug for my liking. I don't like the feeling that I could injure someone with a missile formed from a button. My first thought was that I was tired of trying to get rid of the extra inches. I was going to go through the closet and if it didn't fit---pack it up and pass it on. Ok, that's fine except there are things in there I still like. So the lightbulb moment came and I decided to give it another shot.

I grabbed my Dr. Phil's ultimate weight solution for the meal plans. Hmmm 1100-1200 calories for a couple of weeks. Uhmm, I don't think that's going to last. Logged back into my fitday account. [Note to self-the journal would be more accurate if you actually remember what you ate]. I managed around 1200 calories for a couple of days. I ended up with under 1500 average for the week so far. I don't think 1200 is going to work and I don't foresee a 2 lb per week loss either. I have to regroup and find new meals or I'll get bored which will lead to either cheating or treating. I made a conscious decision to stray off the plan today since I was out and yes I could have made a better choice but I wanted what I wanted.

Everything in moderation except maybe cheesecake. It might be best to leave that alone for now. LOL!