True to form, I will be donating money to Heifer International. Though I only got about 5 comments, including those that follow me, I will be purchasing a bee hive for a family. I think a bee hive is a good way to try to increase the bee population, increase pollination to help other crops and have products for sales later like honey, wax and pollen.
I don't do new year's resolutions, but I am kick starting my new year with a free spin class tomorrow! I figured I could handle 8:30 am. My real class starts a week from today. It's at a newly opened bicycle shop, so I am hoping that they will start to help me choose the proper bike for my trek across Iowa in 2012 and in training during 2011. I've also signed up our family for a community family fitness challenge sponsored by the hospital and school district. It appears to be helping us work on our eating and exercise habits as a family. The kids are all ready to point out what fast food places we should avoid. I think it will be good if they are our reality check on staying healthy. I like how they are willing to be into it.
So here's to you and yours for a happy and healthy 2011!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday Goodness: More Jolly Goodness
First things first. Nathan Bransford and his wife and Alexia over here are donating $1 for every comment made on their blog to Heifer International. I have always loved Heifer since I first heard about it in church and my children's Sunday school got to choose what their money would go to, whether it was rabbits, a flock of chickens or a calf. I like that these families that are in need are given animals to supply food to their family and are offered a chance for breeding more animals and extra income. Along the lines of "If you give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, feed him for a lifetime." I am very much for giving people resources that can help them now and in the future.
Nathan's ended on Wednesday, so, please comment here on the blog between now and midnight Christmas eve (CST on December 24) and for every comment, I, too, will send $1 to Heifer International. Depending on the number of people will determine what we get, a flock of chickens, a calf, or a goat, etc. To increase the amount we send, you can do these additional things:
1. Follow me here on my blog (over there on the right hand side), click follow and be my friend. Leave me a separate comment pointing that out.
2. Join me by posting in Thursday Goodness this week, using Mr. Linky. Leave me another comment to let me know you did that.
(Ok, so both of those benefit me, but I think it will benefit you as well, thinking of positive things by participating in Thursday Goodness and getting to read myfabulous silly little blog, which may (or may not) brighten your day. In the end, the winners are those that benefit from Heifer International.)
I will post on next Thursday's Goodness what animal or animal grouping we will be donating our money for. Check out their website to see how the donations work. My kids love looking and picking out animals. They will probably pick out what we will send.
Now, below is some real Thursday goodness. What a sweet story and Merry Christmas!
Plucked from NPR, a great story about how a man won his wife over.
Nathan's ended on Wednesday, so, please comment here on the blog between now and midnight Christmas eve (CST on December 24) and for every comment, I, too, will send $1 to Heifer International. Depending on the number of people will determine what we get, a flock of chickens, a calf, or a goat, etc. To increase the amount we send, you can do these additional things:
1. Follow me here on my blog (over there on the right hand side), click follow and be my friend. Leave me a separate comment pointing that out.
2. Join me by posting in Thursday Goodness this week, using Mr. Linky. Leave me another comment to let me know you did that.
(Ok, so both of those benefit me, but I think it will benefit you as well, thinking of positive things by participating in Thursday Goodness and getting to read my
I will post on next Thursday's Goodness what animal or animal grouping we will be donating our money for. Check out their website to see how the donations work. My kids love looking and picking out animals. They will probably pick out what we will send.
Now, below is some real Thursday goodness. What a sweet story and Merry Christmas!
Plucked from NPR, a great story about how a man won his wife over.
Jim Crane didn't date in high school. Not at all.
But when he went to college in 1955, he found out he liked girls. A lot.
"They were soft and they smelled good," he tells his daughter, Missy Worden, at StoryCorps in Atlanta.
During his senior year at Union College, Jim met his future wife, Juna. He was working in the business office and she was a switchboard operator.
"I'd come up the hall a-whistling and she'd always fuss at me because she was trying to hear," the 73-year-old says. "I got to talking to her and I got to liking her. I finally said, 'You wanna go to a movie with me?'"
Juna declined. "I've double-dated with you. I see what you do to those girls in the backseat," he tells his daughter she said.
Jim had never gotten a "no" from a girl.
He had given a woman he had been dating in Charlotte, N.C., a pin.
"I wrote and told her to send it back to me," he says. "And the girl I was dating in town, I'd give her some little something or other and I told her to give that back to me. And another girl I was dating on campus, I'd done something for her, and I told her to give that back to me. "
Jim took those three trinkets to the switchboard where Juna worked and laid them down.
"I said, 'Now, lookahere. I done broke up with all three of those girls.' I said, 'Will you go to a movie with me?' She said, 'OK.'"
"I was gonna give her a diamond engagement ring when I got paid at the end of boot camp. But the Navy screwed up the pay somehow, and everybody got paid but me," he says. "Well, I'd told everybody what I was going to do with my money, and I was very despondent.
"I was sitting on my bed and this guy I didn't like came up to me and he said, 'Crane, give me a match.' I said, 'I don't smoke and I don't have matches.' He said, 'Yeah you do. I've seen them in your locker.' And I gave a great oof, and stood up and went to my locker and opened it."
Jim's locker was full of money.
"The money started falling out, so I sat down and cried," he says. "I guess they passed the hat. And I used that money to buy your mother's first diamond ring.
"I said, 'Now, you're gonna marry me, but you gotta know that you're engaged to Company 290,'" Jim explains. "So she said, 'That's fair.'"
The Cranes will celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary on Monday.
But when he went to college in 1955, he found out he liked girls. A lot.
"They were soft and they smelled good," he tells his daughter, Missy Worden, at StoryCorps in Atlanta.
During his senior year at Union College, Jim met his future wife, Juna. He was working in the business office and she was a switchboard operator.
"I'd come up the hall a-whistling and she'd always fuss at me because she was trying to hear," the 73-year-old says. "I got to talking to her and I got to liking her. I finally said, 'You wanna go to a movie with me?'"
Juna declined. "I've double-dated with you. I see what you do to those girls in the backseat," he tells his daughter she said.
Jim had never gotten a "no" from a girl.
He had given a woman he had been dating in Charlotte, N.C., a pin.
"I wrote and told her to send it back to me," he says. "And the girl I was dating in town, I'd give her some little something or other and I told her to give that back to me. And another girl I was dating on campus, I'd done something for her, and I told her to give that back to me. "
Jim took those three trinkets to the switchboard where Juna worked and laid them down.
"I said, 'Now, lookahere. I done broke up with all three of those girls.' I said, 'Will you go to a movie with me?' She said, 'OK.'"
Jim and Juna started dating. After graduating from college in 1959, Jim went immediately into the Navy.
"I was gonna give her a diamond engagement ring when I got paid at the end of boot camp. But the Navy screwed up the pay somehow, and everybody got paid but me," he says. "Well, I'd told everybody what I was going to do with my money, and I was very despondent.
"I was sitting on my bed and this guy I didn't like came up to me and he said, 'Crane, give me a match.' I said, 'I don't smoke and I don't have matches.' He said, 'Yeah you do. I've seen them in your locker.' And I gave a great oof, and stood up and went to my locker and opened it."
Jim's locker was full of money.
"The money started falling out, so I sat down and cried," he says. "I guess they passed the hat. And I used that money to buy your mother's first diamond ring.
"I said, 'Now, you're gonna marry me, but you gotta know that you're engaged to Company 290,'" Jim explains. "So she said, 'That's fair.'"
The Cranes will celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary on Monday.
Produced for Morning Edition by Nadia Reiman. The senior producer for StoryCorps is Michael Garofalo. Recorded in partnership with WABE.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Random Tuesday: Oh the Christmas Love
I am really extra giddy over here. Tonight is the start of my Christmas vacation (or holiday vacation, depending on how you want to look at it). I am planning on serving up myself a hot whiskey to kick off the season. I have presents to wrap and I am determined to start my wrapping before Christmas eve. That's insane. Fortunately, the children are still in school tomorrow, so maybe I can squeeze in a few more in daylight.
I have no clue what to make for supper tonight. What goes with hot whiskey? I am making lasagna for Christmas Eve. It's a tradition, though perhaps unintentional by my parents. They for some reason seemed to make something Italian for Christmas Eve dinner. Not because we're Italian in anyway. Maybe because it was easy to make? My kids like it, too, and I hardly throw together a lasagna on any other night, so I might as well make the most of it. As you know, finding anything that BOTH my children like at the same time, is a potshot in the dark.
I am also giddy because I've launched myself out there more in the blogosphere, doing some commenting here and there and feeling the LOVE of all the people visiting my blog and then following me! Which is so sweet of everyone and I hope I can live up to their expectations. It's an increase of about 30%. (Did you see how I did that calculation? I know, so geeky.) We can blame my new blog friend Jen. She inspired me to get my a** in gear. Well, that and actually participating in the blog give and take.
Don't you love how kids change their minds on their Santa gift list? I don't know how the big man does it. One announced, near the end of our shopping spree on Saturday (which is tricky, but we split up the duties and got stuff done, all behind their backs) that he needed a watch. Great, got to pick up a watch now. The other announced, as she saw the clock ticking down on her Webkinz time in the virtual world, "I've got to have a Webkinz or I won't be able to play with them anymore." Imagine that in a whiny voice. Usually, Santa might ignore these pleas, but Santa is feeling extra nice this year and they may get what they wished for. Since Santa's not bringing the DSi or the Wii, I think these little things can be handled.
I'm making this short and sweet, because it's the holidays. Go, hit the button, join us in our randomness!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Be Jolly By Golly! Blogfest
Hi all, I'm joining in on the Be Jolly By Golly Blogfest, hosted by Jen and Melissa. And I'm getting it in under the wire. I was working/interviewing, getting physical therapy for my arm, fighting off snow and taking the family out to eat. So it's a busy season.
Obligatory festive decorations. My camera is dying and I don't get very good pictures (or maybe that's just my excuse for a really crappy camera eye).
I've posted about my springerle before, so I thought I would try a different twist and post a different cookie (well, candy) recipe. This was my favorite treat at my grandmother's house. She was the kind of person who made 6 dozen each of twenty different kinds of cookies and fudge (I am not kidding), but this was the standout for me. No matter what else I ate, I had to eat one of these. Maybe it was the total of two sticks plus two tablespoons of butter in it.
Napoleon Creams
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. chopped nut meats
Combine first four ingredients in a double boiler. Heat over simmering water until butter melts. (you must do this, it will not work otherwise) Add egg, cooking until mixture thickens (add in a thin stream to stop the egg from curdling), about 3 minutes. Blend in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press into a buttered 9 x 13 in pan. Chill.
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. milk
1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. vanilla instant pudding
2 c. powdered sugar
Cream butter with pudding mix, milk, and powdered sugar until creamy and fluffy. Spread evenly over bottom layer. Chill.
1 6oz. pkg. of chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter
Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl (follow the melting directions on the package for melting the chocolate chips in the microwave, this worked well for me). Spread over vanilla layer. Chill and cut.
Now for the beverage, which doesn't necessarily go with the cookie, but that's just fine and dandy. One of my good friends is Irish and she introduced us to hot whiskeys, which are excellent on cold nights. This is the best warm alcoholic drink I've had. I also like spiced wine, but this takes the cake on a cold night. Sorry we don't have a lovely picture. We usually drink them up fairly quickly.
Hot Whiskey
Whiskey (preferably Jameson)
Boiling water
Scant teaspoon of sugar (white works best, or a sugar cube is good)
Lemon, sliced
Whole cloves
Pour a bit of whiskey in the bottom of a heat proof glass (Irish coffee glass is a good one for this, though we also just use wine glasses). Pour according to taste, I can't tell you exactly how much, I do it by sight and feel. Add the sugar at the bottom and stir a bit to mix it up some. Cut the lemon slices in half and stud each section in the slice with a whole clove. Drop it in the bottom of the glass. Pour the hot water over all, filling about half to two-thirds of the way up the glass. Stir with a spoon. Let cool a bit and enjoy!
Be Jolly By Golly, and check out the rest of the participants here and feel full of holiday cheer!
Obligatory festive decorations. My camera is dying and I don't get very good pictures (or maybe that's just my excuse for a really crappy camera eye).
I've posted about my springerle before, so I thought I would try a different twist and post a different cookie (well, candy) recipe. This was my favorite treat at my grandmother's house. She was the kind of person who made 6 dozen each of twenty different kinds of cookies and fudge (I am not kidding), but this was the standout for me. No matter what else I ate, I had to eat one of these. Maybe it was the total of two sticks plus two tablespoons of butter in it.
Napoleon Creams1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. chopped nut meats
Combine first four ingredients in a double boiler. Heat over simmering water until butter melts. (you must do this, it will not work otherwise) Add egg, cooking until mixture thickens (add in a thin stream to stop the egg from curdling), about 3 minutes. Blend in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press into a buttered 9 x 13 in pan. Chill.
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. milk
1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. vanilla instant pudding
2 c. powdered sugar
Cream butter with pudding mix, milk, and powdered sugar until creamy and fluffy. Spread evenly over bottom layer. Chill.
1 6oz. pkg. of chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter
Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl (follow the melting directions on the package for melting the chocolate chips in the microwave, this worked well for me). Spread over vanilla layer. Chill and cut.
Now for the beverage, which doesn't necessarily go with the cookie, but that's just fine and dandy. One of my good friends is Irish and she introduced us to hot whiskeys, which are excellent on cold nights. This is the best warm alcoholic drink I've had. I also like spiced wine, but this takes the cake on a cold night. Sorry we don't have a lovely picture. We usually drink them up fairly quickly.
Hot Whiskey
Whiskey (preferably Jameson)
Boiling water
Scant teaspoon of sugar (white works best, or a sugar cube is good)
Lemon, sliced
Whole cloves
Pour a bit of whiskey in the bottom of a heat proof glass (Irish coffee glass is a good one for this, though we also just use wine glasses). Pour according to taste, I can't tell you exactly how much, I do it by sight and feel. Add the sugar at the bottom and stir a bit to mix it up some. Cut the lemon slices in half and stud each section in the slice with a whole clove. Drop it in the bottom of the glass. Pour the hot water over all, filling about half to two-thirds of the way up the glass. Stir with a spoon. Let cool a bit and enjoy!
Be Jolly By Golly, and check out the rest of the participants here and feel full of holiday cheer!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thursday Goodness: What's in your soapdish?
A friend of mine on FB shared this picture and link:
Cleaner Science at Etsy.com
Would you like the Hib virus or the glowing Legionella to rub on your hands?
Best laugh, so far, I've had today!
Join me for more goodness. Add a link to your goodness this week.
Cleaner Science at Etsy.com
Would you like the Hib virus or the glowing Legionella to rub on your hands?
Best laugh, so far, I've had today!
Join me for more goodness. Add a link to your goodness this week.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Other things writery...
I've been floating around in the writer's universe a bit and ran across this book: Across the Universe. The author, Beth Revis, has a blog and it is interesting to see her progress through to a finished, published book. And the first chapter is fascinating. It is very sci-fi, but I like sci-fi and it seems entertaining. She's offering a generous contest, in which 100 prizes will be awarded. All book related, as it will come out 1.11.11. If you're slightly sci-fi leaning, or interested in seeing more about her publishing journey, go check it out and see if you'd like to win some free stuff, too. Good luck!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Random Tuesday Thoughts
Once Willa had a bath, she came down the stairs in wet hair and footie jammies, raiding the construction paper pile, making a pretty big mess. Well, she just stated she's making it into a good pile, because "it's just weird when paper is sticking out." Ah, wouldn't you enjoy footie jammies? I almost bought some today. But Mr. Wild already hates my fleece blanket cocoon, I think he'd find the footed pajamas, let's say, offputting.
I love eating Mexican at a restaurant. When I suggest going out for Mexican, my kids are very excited. "Can we go to El Jefe?" they ask. Don't let their enthusiasm for Mexican fool you. They actually want to go to this restaurant because they serve KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE. It's in the kids' menu. With fries on the side. Willa shows some sign of a possibly maturing palate, because she doesn't want fries, she wants the Mexican rice. But Andrew is all about the mac and cheese and fries. Sigh.
Speaking of Andrew, he turns 11 today. The years just keep rolling by, don't they? We all say that. We all hear others say that. Yet, why are we so surprised? What is more surprising, when the jeans you bought last fall are no longer long enough? Or the fact that they turn one more year older. Bonus: most people think eleven is an acceptable age for me to leave the oldest in charge of the youngest for an hour or two. Ah, the freedom. I need it, otherwise, Santa doesn't get her shopping done.
I agreed to make banana muffins for his class treat. We can't, or aren't supposed to, send unhealthy food to school for snacks, not even for birthdays. I understand why and I accept it, but I'm a little sad I'm not sending cupcakes. My muffins have extra wheat germ in them, in addition to the banana, so I think we're sending something better than a cupcake. On the other hand, in Willa's class, the girl with the birthday last week sent home a giant pixy stix for each classmate.
I was all set to try my free Oikos Organic Greek yogurt and the store I stopped in didn't carry it. They had every other kind of Greek yogurt, plus Stonyfield's regular organic yogurt, for which I also had one free coupon for. But it wasn't worth it to me to pick up any of the free yogurt at that point. I got orange juice instead.
For the word coupon, do you say "Q-pon" or "COO-pon?" I say "Q-pon," really I do. I think it's an Iowa thing, because another gal I know who grew up in Iowa says it the same way I do. Actually, maybe eastern Iowa, my husband is from the western Iowa side of I-35 and he says "COO-pon." Those Westerners. What are you going to do with them?
I am thinking about joining up with some blog fests. I'll let you know how that goes, if I get to doing it. Just some more fun for the holidays.
Hot whiskey in hand, the last batch of muffins in the oven. Go Random up with Keely at the Unmom. Click the button above and enjoy the muffins you aren't having.
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