It Is Complete...

I finished Whole30 today. It's Day 30. I'm not sure how I feel. I don't feel "lighter." I honestly didn't even lose 10 pounds, which surprised me. I think it was the fruit. And the portions of protein. I'm not a big meat eater, and I was a bit overwhelmed with that part of the plan. 

That being said, I learned that I don't have to snack. I also learned that I really don't like eating breakfast that early. I also learned that I have to figure out a portable breakfast that doesn't involve "warm food." Which is difficult when you're limited to "clean" food - i.e., eggs, other proteins. There are only so many eggs one can eat. And while I don't mind eating leftover dinner for breakfast, I really can't face it at 6 a.m. I've never been an "early breakfast" person. 

I probably ate too much fruit. If I'd eaten less fruit, perhaps the scale would be different. But it wasn't and that's that.

So here was my meal tonight: a pork cutlet, sweet potato "hash" and Brussels Sprouts. That's homemade mayo for the "plated fat" that you need to add. Also, I drizzled infused olive oil with a touch of light balsamic over the Brussels Sprouts. Kind of like a "warm sprout salad," if you will.

What I have found is my motivation. I've dragged it, kicking and screaming, out from under my knitting chair and I've gotten myself into walking and tonight I was on the elliptical (a/k/a "The ElliptiKILL") for 20 minutes. I figure I can build up, with the upcoming trip to Colorado, so that when I'm out there, I'm not a total "pffffffffffffthhhhhhhhh" fizzle during hikes. Though I did warn them that I'm not "that" fit! I've also started walking at noon. I need to build up endurance on the ElliptiKILL and then get the "pounding the pavement" aspect by walking at lunch. 

I just have to watch that I don't do too much at lunch so that I'm dripping during the afternoon! 

I'm figuring that for the most part, I'll continue to "eat clean," but I will allow myself a few things: beans come back to the salad, and I won't feel like a sinner if I eat a scone. Not sure about dairy. Yet. I'm actually ok without cheese.... Whoa.... I think the earth just tilted... 

What is this???

A "swirl" that's actually a poop emoji that's now a cookie cutter. How in heaven's name do you serve that to people? And to whom would you serve it? Perhaps your average 9-year old might like it, but I'm not sure how I feel about poop cookies. 

I admit it might be worth a laugh with the right person, but I'm not sure if I actually know the right person for this little gem.

Just so you know, if this looks funky, Blogger is messing with the pictures again. It's like the coding is wonky and it won't wrap the text around the pictures. That's incredibly annoying and I've had it happen a few times. Hubby figured out that I had to do "hard" returns, and basically format them in. What a pain in the kiester. 

Church Remodel...

The remodeling of the church hall is coming along nicely. This is the kitchen, and we have the fridge in, the dishwasher in, and we're almost ready to finish off the cabinets. As soon as the carpenter gets the tops in, we'll be ready to finish the tile, and paint. 

I say "we" but all I'm doing is babysitting. And occasionally helping the contractor by shoving around a large fridge!

When it's done, it'll be approved by the Health Department for us to hold weddings, showers, and the like. It'll be almost a "commercial" kitchen in that we can rent out the space to folks wanting to use it for certain types of events (like said showers, etc.). It's a small hall - maybe holds 100 people comfortably-ish. But the church is stunning and people will come from miles around to enjoy the sanctuary and the hall when we're done.

I'll be glad when it's all over, though. It's dusty, noisy, and smelly. I've lived through the tear-down, and the re-build. Now it's the finishing touches that are kind of gagging me.

Who knew that cabinets "off-gassed" formaldehyde? The windows have been open a lot. I'm glad that we've had the weather for it. It's hard to be in the hall working when it's freezing out and all the windows are open so you can breathe!

Tippi Strikes Again...

Who says "real men don't pet therapy dogs?" Well, nobody, actually. Especially at the university where I take Tippi. This next week is Finals Week, so we're adding another day to visit the library. This batch of guys came over this past Tuesday and were enjoying her. She was enjoying their shoes.

My dog is a shoe fiend. She doesn't chew them. She doesn't bother them, other than to smell them. Incessantly. She's fascinated with shoes.

The kids laugh because she's such a "foot fetish" dog. But they love her and she loves them. 

Random Picture...

I came home tonight after taking this shot of a rainbow. Up there, we had about 5 minutes of pitter-patter rain, and thunder. Then this gorgeous rainbow. 

When I came home, there was a tree fallen on Rt. 53. Hubby told me that in about 5 or 6 minutes, there was a torrential rain, straight-line winds so strong that the rain blew into the windows of our covered porch -- and that never happens. And there was "tree debris" all over the yards. 

Apparently, no rainbow was spotted... 

It's hot and humid, so in typical Illinois fashion, we have apparently had one day of spring, and we're in summer now. Gotta love it. 

Another Day...

OK. I'd say I was sorry for yesterday's rant, but I'm not. There it is. I'm sad because I was raised to believe America was "the greatest." But lately, I'm not feeling the "great." I'm feeling the "screwed." And I am not liking it... 

November is right around the corner. Educate yourself, get involved, help a candidate. Just do something. Otherwise, you've got nothing to complain about. Like Frank Zappa said (and I absolutely can't believe I'm quoting Zappa - Kid #2 would be so proud!): Modern Americans behave as if intelligence were some sort of hideous deformity.

Intelligence is what will get us through the crap and back to "great" - in my opinion. So, also in my opinion, it's best to find an issue which resonates for you and become an activist. Help others. Do something not for yourself, not because it makes you feel good, or will profit you in any respect. 

But do it because it's the right thing to do. If you don't get involved, you can't expect the next person to get involved. And then we're all sitting around a campfire somewhere, sometime, saying, "God, I don't know what happened." 

Well. It's your call.

Knitting...

Plugging away on the second sock of the KAL. Nothing to show at the moment, because I didn't bring it along. I'm on the gusset. It's a forever-lasting decrease, because I picked up more stitches on either side. I'm trying to eliminate the "holes" and I think I picked up far too many!! I can either do a series of decrease rows one after the other (with no Knit around in between) or just deal with the fact that on this sock, the gusset may be nearly as long as the foot!

For next week, since I have a campus full of cops, and to keep me away from the donuts, I'll be bringing the sock and the Blue Baby Sweater, which is near completion. 

After I get these socks done, it's back to Teal Sock #2. I've gotta get that thing done and over with! And then I'll work on the remainder of the WIPs. 

The Junk Drawer...

So I got on a cleaning binge, which didn't last long... and I cleared out the junk drawer that I have at work. I still need to prop up the leaning Norfolk Island Pine and clean out my in-box, which is right now my "hold your breath" box. But the junk drawer is done. 

I took about a gazillion pens home and threw out a bunch of stuff that managed to accumulate. Not sure how. Desk fairies, I think. 

But it feels better to have it more or less in order. 

Next will be the leaning pine and the desk. Our cleaning crew won't touch our desks, which is fine with me. But that means that every so often, I need to put every item on the floor just to give the top a decent clean-off. It's a "white" laminate desk, which is just boring and a pain in the butt to keep clean. 

Oh well. Complaining about it won't get it done.

Nokia Camera Phone...

So I've been playing with the phone's camera. It's the jazzy whiz-bang one. Here's some of the stuff I've been working with.

Bzzzzzzy guy

We have Prairie Blazing Star in our front bed. Which I didn't remember, but was reminded of by my gardening guru, Sue. I did tag it; we have 2 and they're in the front bed. As I stuck the tag in this one, my fuzzy brain detected a really, REALLY close-up BZZZZZZZZ.

It was this guy. Now, I was a good 3 feet from him after I nearly had a heart attack when I realized my hand was virtually on top of him. 

Lucky for me, he was intent on checking out each flower. And each spire. He wasn't afraid of me. I was more afraid of HIM!

So when I got inside, I played with the "crop" feature and this is what I got - a very clear shot and a really nifty frame, at least I think.

It won't beat the EOS, but for those spur-of-the moment shots, this camera is really nice. And I can carry it much more easily on my bike rides! 

Cemetery at sunset

The next shot is of the cemetery at Stateville Penitentiary. At sunset, after I was done teaching a yoga class. I didn't do much of anything with this one. But I thought the light was unique. 

If you click on it, you'll see the gravestones. And if you're anywhere close and have a thing for old burial grounds, you'll notice that each stone is marked with a "W" or a "C" -- the last grave was, I think, dug in the 1960s. And at that time, you can imagine not many relatives claimed the bodies. So they marked them with a "W" for white and "C" for colored. I'll have to get in there and take some pictures of the stones. It's sad but it's our history. 

Exercise...

Well. It appears that Atkins isn't for me. I lost the initial 5 lbs. or so. Then my weight loss stalled. All still in the Induction phase. So I read in the book, "If your weight loss is less than a pound a week, you may have reached your carb load."

I'm sorry. I'm not eating the same 6 things for the rest of my life. And according to this logic, I would basically never have fruit again. Can't do it. Doesn't make sense.

So I'm just eating "clean" and ramping up the exercise. Over the long weekend, Hubby and I took 2 long bike rides. 

Long for me, that is. He said he'd have been surprised if we did 2 miles the first day. We did 4. The day after that, we did 5. And Tuesday, I took a walk. Needless to say, I walk a lot slower, but I'm easing into this. 

Yoga is still my go-to, but I need the other activity - it's all about being well-rounded in exercise so as to not be "well-rounded" in body!

Anyway, I finally figured out the "fitness" app on the Samsung phone, and I did 1.1 miles. Lest you scoff, our neighborhood is hilly. So I took my time and I know I'll get back to my normal pace at some point.

Live Oak??

Brought the phone, obviously, and lookee what I found!! It looks almost like a Live Oak. I have to see if we even have those in Illinois. 

Obviously, I mean the middle tree, where the branch/trunk juts out toward the center of the lot. Click on it to see what it looks like. 

Very intriguing. 

So if the weather holds out (we're supposed to get t-storms), perhaps Thursday a.m. I walk again. Or hit the basement for the "elliptiKILL" as I call it. Either way, the exercise is making me feel loads better.

I think that we've finally got the heart Rx down and I can function; I'm not afraid of keeling over like I was before we got it figured out. So we shall continue to move forward and remember that "slow and steady" is the right way for me to go. 

Random Picture...

Yeah. It's yarn. Yeah, it's specifically SOCK YARN. And yeah, it'll be something some day. Perhaps lace socks. While I'm whipping through the "plain vanilla" and it's an excellent pattern, I'd like to do something with maybe learning cables or some sort of interest. 


I added it to Ravelry. I have to go through and actually look at what I've "stashed" and see if what's currently in the work bags is actually already logged. I know. It's freaky. But I like records. 

So anyway, at some point, there will be socks. Lots of socks, if The Stash is any indication. I don't even want to disclose... 

Sigh...

Thursday Already...

The older I get, the faster time seems to fly. I swear it was just Monday. Yesterday. 

Chicago is in shock because Charlie Trotter died unexpectedly. 

Photo from Google

Well, too soon, at least. He was 54. His son said that he had a brain aneurysm and was aware of it. He was warned not to fly anywhere and he flew to Jackson Hole to speak at a conference. His son came home, Charlie was on the couch, and when his son awoke the next morning, Charlie was still on the couch, unresponsive. 

So sad. No, I couldn't afford to eat at his place. And you'll see all kinds of memorials, I'm sure. Some will excoriate his temperament. Some will mourn because they had good experiences with him and they will feel his loss. Some will mourn simply because Charlie lifted Chicago from the "beer and pizza" town everyone thought they knew, to become somewhat of a foodie mecca. 

I mourn the early loss of genius, and I wonder if, when he unexpectedly closed his restaurant, he had a premonition. The picture is from Google. You'll see a lot of them in his somewhat iconic pose, but I kind of like this one where he's actually doing what made him famous, and what - I hope - made him happy.

Politics...

This has been going around Facebook for a while, and it's still worth a look-see. Bill Maher stops a panelist in his tracks, after the panelist insists that the Affordable Care Act is a ginormous "one size fits all" thing that can't possibly - cannot POSSIBLY work. Check it out here. 

And in more ACA news, Reuters reports that people are warming up to the website and sign-up despite the glitches. I have to wonder what Social Security would've looked like had it been web-based... I can tell you that Kid #2 got his explanation of benefits from his employer, and he said, "Oh wow -- I can have a pre-existing condition!" Which, being 25 and healthy as a horse, he doesn't...but his employer clearly spelled out what was coming, and it's good. He's in that coveted segment of young healthy folks. It's all good from here, I think. 

And in Chicago politics, the city is issuing bonds for buildings that have no hope in heck of ever being habitable. Somehow, this one generates a big "yawwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnn" -- someone knows someone. 

In Illinois, good news for the gay community. We trot into the 21st century by passing the gay marriage bill. Click here for a CBS report. Of course, the Council of Catholic Bishops is really upset. So are a boat-load of conservatives.

And there was the typical article in today's Trib saying, "Well, what if a vendor doesn't want to serve the gay couple? The law ONLY protects the clergy."

Okey-dokey. Here's where we need a huge scoop of common sense. Really, in this economy, you'd turn down business? Well, that's certainly your right. But you know what? You don't have to rub your religious objections in anyone's nose. If I came to you and asked you to provide a cake, a video, a dress, flowers - whatever it was, and told you it was for a gay wedding, all you have to say, truly -- just being polite and civil maybe -- would be, "I'm sorry, I can't provide that for you." And I don't mean I have to be blatant about the telling... It'd come up in the normal course of placing an order. "Bride's name: Jennifer; Groom's name: Susan." Well, there ya go....

You don't have to whack me on the head with your Bible. And I have the perfect right to go somewhere else. To someone who wants to take my money... Truly the most simple solution. 

Illinois needs the business. Aside from the human rights issue, we need the money. It's a whole new marketplace for us. Good for the government for finally getting something right. 

Knitting...

Finished one more Fluffy Scarf and cast on the next one. The yarn, Starbella, is not exactly as nice as it used to be. Perhaps they're going the "Homespun" route. Homespun, by Lion Brand Yarn, used to be the go-to yarn. It was good quality, had gorgeous colors, and hey - even Martha Stewart used it to make her "prison poncho." 

Then, there started to be quality issues. The nylon filament would untwist; the colors weren't consistent from hank to hank. And you'd be midway through a project and get this huge whack of "blank" -- as if about a yard or so would've missed the dye pot entirely. 

This last hank of Starbella had some real issues in terms of the gold braid at the bottom; one chunk was missing. The hank came apart on me mid-stream (it looked as if they ran out of one segment and just lumped another beginning string onto it) so I had to double up for a row or two to hook it back together. Not happy. I've marked that scarf and I'll use that one for myself. I don't want to have another choir member use it and think "Oh, I got the crappy one." 

I'm working this weekend, but I still hope to finish that charity afghan. I want my dining room table back, and Hubby wants to move the Ott light back where it belongs! 

Food...

I've got a lovely smoothie for lunch today. The weight loss stuff is back on track. Funny - it works really well when you're not mindlessly munching all day long. Hmmmmmmm. 

I'm going to begin working with my small hula hoops - you put them on your arms and do arm circles. It's quite a workout actually. I think that starting out slowly will help re-build my upper body strength. Yoga helps, of course, but anything you can do as well...it won't hurt.

Music...

Working on the Silent Night for Christmas. I have to figure out how to hook the guitar up to the sound system. If Hubby does go visit his mom for the holiday, I'm on my own. The church is really old. I mean, so old that they don't even have plumbing in the sacristy. We will look at it this weekend and hope to figure out something I can do on my own. It's not usually a big deal; at our other church, we had a sound board and I knew which buttons to push. Here, though - not so easy. 

I rather wish they'd let me play another one, but I'm biding my time. It'll come. Or it won't and that's fine. I play because I enjoy it, and if I can do it publicly, fine. If not, ok. Recently, at our university, they've started using guitarists, so maybe I can do it there. That might be better anyway, because I'd be one of several and not just by myself. 

Random Picture...

This is a picture of one of my knitting notebooks. It may seem silly, but what I like to do is write everything down, regardless of the written pattern I may have. 

Knitting Knotebook

It's this way: You may have a printed pattern, and unless you're built exactly to the specification of a pattern, you will have alterations. Or you may be hit with a brilliant idea which you think that the designer might've thought about (or not) and you want to incorporate it. Well, obviously, in a sweater, you want to document that so that, say, both sleeves are alike. I know there's this whole genre of "asymmetrical knitting" but honestly - I'd just look like I was wearing something I screwed up.


This one happens to be of a prayer shawl I knitted for a friend of mine, who happens to be an organist (hence the "Organ Pipes" pattern). I knitted it for her because her son died, and because we have been friends for so long. 

So I have them all over; I try to use each one till full, but sometimes (who am I kidding --- ALWAYS) I have multiple WIPs (works in progress) and I need notebooks for most of them. I like to even keep track of how many rows of a scarf or something like that. 

This way, you can re-use your printed pattern (the shawl pattern actually came from one of those "stitch-a-day" calendars, so it wasn't even a shawl till I did that). You don't have notes all over, and if you happen to knit something for two people, like when I did the hats for my kids, I was able to note the colors and the order in which I used them for each hat. 

Heck, even the Yarn Harlot loves it when people bring her their knitting notebooks to sign. It's a piece of history and maybe one day, a future knitter in my family will dig through my notebooks and be inspired to try something of his or her own, using my notes. 

Mr. Squirrel, You're Not Getting the Point...

As I was up at just-after-dark:a.m., after taking the dogs out for their morning ablutions, I looked out my kitchen window while my water was heating for the morning tea.

This is what I saw... If you click on the picture to make it larger, you'll notice that all my herb plants have screens on them. That was to keep the squirrels out - the little buggers like to dig to plant sunflower seeds. So I thought I was pretty clever. 

Squirrel on the wire

This guy, however, (before I grabbed my camera) was looking right at me...Sitting up on his hind legs. Now, these things are sharp! I just grabbed one yesterday to cut some tarragon. I walked quietly away, grabbed my camera and shot this through a kitchen window with screen, so it's not as sharp as I'd like. By the time I came back to shoot, he turned around. Flicked his tail. And scampered off. 


He obviously "didn't get the point" even though he was sitting right on it!

And then the other day, we brought in all the birdfeeders - at least setting them on the porch, in anticipation of yet another major t-storm. Kid #2 put one on the porch and I didn't think anything of it. I had put a couple there after I filled them. I ran an errand, and then since we didn't have another storm, I figured I'd put them back on their hooks. Walked out to the porch to see one of the more "open" ones dumped over. 

"What???" Then I saw it. A chipmunk. Little stinker had tipped the thing over and was porking out on the seed! He scampered away and there was really nothing I could do. I grabbed a dustpan and just tossed the seed onto the lawn. They may as well enjoy it. 

Cooking: So today I made sort-of-Italian chicken in the crock pot with my own canned sauce. I cut up peppers and chunked an onion. Layered that on the bottom, snipped 2 large sprigs of Rosemary, grabbed some basil and layered the chicken, the herbs and the sauce. Added salt & pepper, added about 10 oz of water and slapped it on "high." Made some pasta that Kid #2 brought home and we just ate that for dinner. Got enough leftovers (or "plan-overs" like they used to tell us as Tupperware sales-ladies) for the week.

Now I have to do about a bazillion dishes. I want my dishwasher fixed!! Even if I can't put every single thing in, it would certainly cut down the load, right?

Knitting: On the decrease on the last Robin's Nest sock!! We may have a pair by next week. I have one gripe: Either I've slept on my hands funny, or I need to take a break with a pair of larger needles. My thumb hurts. That hasn't happened since I recovered from the surgery. Urgh.

Dogs: So far today, the dogs have been out of their "restraints." Quinn's been out of the Thundershirt (which we were using to keep her cysts from getting oozy on the furniture. Tippi was in The Collar of Shame. But so far, she's left her leg alone. 

However, tonight, they'll be in their "suits" because I'm not interested in staying up all night keeping tabs on them! Oh, and they're blowing their coats. Big time. 

Work: I have my "too long meeting" tomorrow, then I assist at a yoga class. I also have to plan the sequence for Tuesday's class. And figure out what I want to do for Wednesday's class. Now that I'm teaching it instead of taking it, I do have to get more disciplined in actually doing the yoga practice.

And at training next week, we have our first quiz. Of course, they're not going to flunk us, but nevertheless, I do have to study. It's all based on homework, so I should be ok if I just review everything. Although I enjoy the training, and this weekend will be observing (I don't invert...), I'm tired. I'd like to be done with it. I have to catch up on one workshop I missed, and then I can get my 200-hour certification.

Well, I'd be interested to hear what y'all are doing for July 4. I'm going to be trying to keep 2 dogs calm. They're not fond of fireworks. And our neighbors are, unfortunately, idiots. 

This is all HUBBY'S fault...

Ok. You read it here first. I was NEVER going to put games on my phone because my phone is my phone, though I do love the calendar feature. And I got it because I was tired of coordinating three or four calendars (work, volunteer, personal, family) -- it didn't work, no matter what system I used and I always missed something. I have a Nokia Lumia running Windows and I couldn't be happier. Or at least that's what I thought. Both kids and Hubby have games on their phones, but me?????? Noooooooooooo - not for me. Ha.

But Hubby knows how much I love Scrabble. Love it. LOVE it. So he finds me a free (!) Scrabble knock-off. And loads it on my phone. Oyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!  I'm now addicted to "Table Tiles." Addicted. Yeesh. His fault. Entirely.

"Table Tiles" has different rules than Scrabble. You can use slang. You can use some foreign language words, though it seems to be fickle. The phone gets to use them, but I am told "not a valid word." Hmpfh.

So that was my big nit to pick was that Hubby now has me stuck on this game.

Other news: 

1.  Both sweaters are done. Just need to be seamed. Will do that and photograph it.
2.  I started the orange afghan. I bought the Encore 8-hour afghan books. Yes, it's size 13 needles with doubled yarn, so I feel like I'm knitting with tree trunks, but the patterns are lovely and I'm looking forward to getting through them quickly. No, it won't be 8 hours!
3.  I'll intersperse this afghan stuff with smaller stuff - like socks.
4.  I got a gorgeous Siberian Husky calendar for Christmas. Yes, I still miss River.
5.  I also got a phenomenal camera, a Canon EOS Rebel. It's way more whiz-bang than my small Canon "pocket-shooter," which has begun to eat batteries at an alarming rate. And it's tons lighter than the Canon 5D that Hubby uses.

Since Hubby is a professional photographer, he's very comfy with using The Big Camera. I have always been a little skittish of it, though I'm competent with it. Now, though, I have a "mini-me" which, even though a Rebel is idiot-proof, has enough stuff on it whereby I can actually learn to take better pics.

Male cardinals in maple tree

So Hubby had to play with it (of course). Here are some of his shots of the birds who came to visit us this New Year's. As you can see, we have a decently diverse batch of birds, but we are missing some of our "usual suspects." No Blue Jays in a while. Also, we didn't get any shots of the Nuthaches, because they flew away. No doves, either, but some folks actually consider them an annoyance.

And we missed the biggest, fattest brown squirrel you ever saw! We have greys, and we've seen the browns, but seriously - this guy was the size of the back-door neighbor's Chihuahua!!


Small Woodpecker



Large woodpecker

We did get both kinds of woodpeckers. Now, I just have to take Whiz-Bang Camera to Starved Rock so that my friend Susan and I can get the Pileated Woodpeckers that live there! He had to sneak up on the little stinkers, because the bigger one is more shy than the smaller one. The smaller one? Doesn't care. He's eating. Leave him alone. Here's the little guy, on the right. Isn't he cute? He's got lots of personality, too. I've seen him chase off the "scavenger" birds like the grackles. He's fearless when it comes to his suet.

Our New Year's Day? Well, we got a lot done. I finally have an office where I can lay out my yoga mat! I didn't take pictures, though I should have, right? And yesterday, I did my "First Practice." I intend to do one a day, even if it's 10 minutes. Oh, and I'd better figure out my yoga timer! It did time, but it didn't chime.

Most of the stash is organized. The desk has been configured a little differently, and I'm hoping it's more efficient. The Catholic music has been moved downstairs. I don't want to pitch it - there's a ton of it. But I don't use it anymore since we are attending an Episcopal Church across the river. But I also needed the room, so downstairs to the basement it went.

The floor is swept up, the corners are vacuumed, the guitars are put away, and my meditation altar is changed up a bit. I just need to reinflate my balance ball chair, and I'm good to go. Out of the 12 things I had on my to-do list for vacation, I got all but 2 of them done. Success!!!

Hubby baked bread. He does know how to bake, and he's good at it. But he did need a little help because this recipe was a little garbled when it came to the second rise and putting the dough in the pans. Unfortunately, I'm off bread for a while, but I can tell you the smells and visuals were extremely tantalizing! Enjoy, but please don't drool on your keyboard or tablet. You've been warned....



Final rise

Yes, that's a cast-iron loaf pan. It bakes up the most wonderful bread. We use it for everything from sweet nut breads to these whole-grain breads -- and even meatloaf. And yes, it weighs a ton.



Fresh out of the oven

This recipe was one he found online. Our outlet bakery closed, as part of the Hostess fiasco, and he's having "sticker shock" at the cost of bread from the supermarket. This isn't our first go-round with baking bread; I actually enjoy baking it anyway, but usually it's during the colder months. This recipe uses Bob's 7-grain hot cereal, so it's a little heavier than I'm used to working with. It gave the Big Mixer a workout, that's for sure! I thought he was going to blow it up. Wouldn't have been happy about that, for sure! 

Out of the pans


The directions did say to roll the entire loaf in oatmeal, but I prefer it just on the top. With the cast-iron pans, there may be a tendency to scorch, and that would've been nasty. On top looks pretty enough anyway.

And now comes my "artsy-fartsy" shot. I love this. Even Kid #2 said, "Oh, it looks like something out of a Panera display." I guess that's good.   :)

"Glamour shot"

I had to kind of shoot it blind, since I'm short, but this is one thing the Rebel does - it makes you look lots more arty than you may actually be! Hubby has already sliced the loaf and toasted it. He said it held up well. Sometimes, the homemade breads can be a little wonky when you try to toast them or use them in sandwiches. I like a hearty loaf like a potato bread because it holds up well. Maybe one day when I get to eat bread again.

I'm not griping. Yes, I put on about 4 lbs. over Christmas, having lost nearly thirty this summer/fall. I need to get those pounds back off, and I will. And I'm not crying about "never" having [insert food here] ever again. It'll come. It's like anything - a work in progress.

Speaking of which, I do have a few resolutions: daily yoga, blogging here at least once a week, and reintroducing myself to my "elliptiKILL" machine in the basement. Barring any weird health things, I should be ready to get back into the regular routine.

My yoga teacher training starts in February, and that's a year-long process. That will help me with one of my goals, and I'm actually looking forward to it. Always the perpetual student, I guess. Ha - that means I have to put down "Word Tiles" to practice! 

Happy New Year from Quinn

In the meantime, here are the girls, enjoying New Year's Eve with a Himalayan Chew, available at Fun Time Dog Shop. Don't forget, this is an online store that donates all its profits to rescues, and you get to pick the agency on their list. It's a great place to get really good stuff for your dogs. The treats, toys, etc. are all tested by those monsters, the Elkhounds, and if they can't destroy it, you can bet it's sturdy!

Yes, I do dress my dogs. And yes, they usually tolerate it much more when they have a yummy chew. Tippi was savoring hers. Quinn was destroying hers! I did take them away after a while, but that's just so they last a bit longer.

All the best in 2013, from Tippi!

My wish for you and yours: Peace and all good for 2013.

Do something to challenge yourself. Even a small step is a big thing.

Namaste.







Monday Musings....

It's Monday and it's raining and I haven't blogged for a while and there are several things to cover. So...........

1.  My friend Jan and her family are mourning the death of her nephew Christopher, USN. He was a demolitions expert in Afghanistan. He and his entire group were killed when an IED exploded under his humvee. Christopher not only shares a name with one of my kids, but he's the same age. I am still trying to wrap my head around this because if my kid had been inclined to join the military (and he's not), this could've been me writing this message. I grieve with her because this young man sounds like a lovely person; I never met him, but he has a close-knit family and community who are mourning the loss of yet another life in a war which has been fought since before Jesus.

When you pray or meditate or take quiet time or whatever you do, please spare a thought for those young people who have died in this senseless war and also for their families and communities.

2.  My fantastic therapy dog and I have a new gig as a fill-in for the Child Advocacy Center. It's to help parents and children in the pre-interview room. I will not go into the interviews; it's not allowed, which is fine with me. But I think Tippi the Wonder-Dog will be a great fit there. When we went for an interview, everyone but one grumpy guard loved her.

3.  Forty minutes of complete panic. Hubby calls and says, "I've lost my wallet." Yikes!! Called the doc's office; he runs to the doc, to the dog park, to the grocery store... Then Kid #2 calls and says he found it at home. Whewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! Bullet dodged.

4.  The carb detox is working fine; it's a good thing that I'm the kind of person who can eat the same thing over and over and over and.... wait, I'm talking myself out of this!!  Anyway, it's getting easier to avoid the "white processed" stuff, though today I fell slightly off the wagon. (sigh) It happens.

5.  I'm going to be calling my friend Sonda. Hospice is coming in to evaluate her this week. It's not looking good from a survival perspective, but Hospice is such a gift.

6.  The conservatives who continually pound us over the head with "What the Founders wanted" and "no *^&% mandates" need to read history. I know it's hard, and there are some big words. However, even George WASHINGTON issued mandates for ship owners to buy insurance on their crew, and for longshoremen to have health insurance. Mandates, folks. We shouldn't make it a dirty word.

7.  Just about done with a mala bag. I have a lovely clear quartz mala and it needs its own bag. I'm using some more of Sonda's blue hand-dyed yarn, which is what I used for my "quick winter hat" that does NOT slouch. I'm working on the i-cord now.

8.  My foot hurts. There are less than 39 days left till the Avon 2-Day Walk; I've made my financial goal (yay!) but now my foot hurts. I think the plantar fasciitis is acting up. Lovely. Can I do the whole thing on my elliptical so it's all low-impact?? I didn't think so.

Gotta get used to this new blogger format. It's very strange.

What is THIS all about?

Ok, I like winter. Yeah, I'm odd. And I like winter sports. Particularly if I'm participating in them, and preferably when the temperatures are NOT -20! So, I ice skate. I snow shoe. I had done some downhill skiing in my youth, but decided that I really didn't need to get anywhere quite that fast. Instead, I cross-country ski, which is billed as an "all-over" workout. "All over" was about how I felt this past weekend. My hubby and I went to the path we've been using to snow shoe this past Saturday. Mind you, he's been doing this since at least college, maybe younger. We get on the skis. I immediately have trouble staying upright. Even with poles. I'm a person who can hold "tree" pose for 5 minutes without a wobble. Balance should not be an issue. We get going. I feel like I'm "shoving" the skis instead of gliding, and then we hit a nice slight downhill level so I can "schush" along nicely, using the poles to propel me along, and getting in a nice bit of upper body exercise. Then comes the first hill. I get half-way up, and I slide down. I get half-way up and slide down again. I'm stubborn. Hubby made it up there, so why can't I?? Finally, I conceded defeat and did the sideways shuffle up the hill. Went along a while further and then we hit a BIG (well, big in x-country terms) downhill. Hubby went down, and did fine. I went down and managed to over-correct slightly. Hubby says, "Aim for the trees." Is he crazy? Besides, he's got more life insurance than I do... Instead, I do what any self-respecting person would do. I sat down. It's amazing that the human butt is a great anchor. I popped the bindings, kicked the skis out from under me and walked down the remainder of the hill. So Sunday, he decides "we need to work on technique" so we head for the same area, only a soccer field that looks nice and flat. Ha. Deception abounds, my friends! It's a gentle maybe 1-degree downward slope toward the road. I did fine. I did the turn just peachy. Then I started back. Oh. My. Dig the poles deep, behind your rump into the snow. Puuuuuuuuuuullllllll with all your might on said poles to get the skis (and your body) forward. Take one pole out, gingerly and quickly - trying not to cross your skis or lose your balance. Poke it slightly ahead of yourself. Do the same with the other pole. Then, through sheer force of will, puuuuuuuuuuuuullll those legs and skis forward. Only to slide backward 6 or 8 feet. More than once. More than 4 times. Embarassingly more than I feel like it should have been. Particularly since Hubby scooted right up that hill as if it was flatter than an Illinois corn field. It took me nearly 20 minutes to "ascend the hill" - and yes, you may surely read a whole heap of sarcasm at the "hill" point. I got to the crest, popped the skis off and said, "I'm not sure why I like this anymore." So riddle me this... I can skate for a couple of hours on a thin blade. I can stop; turn; go forward AND backward. And stay upright. Even spin modestly. I can do yoga - I love balance poses. But on a 2" wide 5 1/2' piece of wood? I'm a total clod. Will I be getting back on the skis? Yep. As soon as we have more snow. I'm not going to let a skinny piece of fiberglass defeat me.