Mr. Men and Little Miss

I love it when something you loved as a child (but has since disappeared) reappears. I could never remember what these guys were called, but when I was younger, I colored in Mr. Men Little Miss coloring books. With my wonderful scented markers. I liked them all except black (which was scented black licorice). I think I also used to have Colorforms for these guys, too!

Seems like there is a resurgence in popularity for these items. They have a website and other folks are selling stuff with their characters, too.

Quote of the Day

If you were arrested for kindness, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

-Unknown

How to eat smaller portions

I've never been good at any form of dieting. To be honest, I don't really believe in dieting...you eat what you eat. If a diet is temporary instead of a permanent change to your way of eating, then any loss you may accomplish will most likely be lost when you resume your normal diet.

However, that being said, I'm trying to change how I eat. I need to add more green vegetables into my diet and I need to stop going back for seconds!

Today, I managed to eat the right amount of food at lunch. The trick? I measured out what I wanted to eat this morning (while I still had all sorts of noble ideas stuck in my sleep-riddled head) and took my lunch to work.

And ya know what? When you have no other food to go grab from the fridge...you stop eating. It's weird, but works. :)

But seriously, it was a relief to bring my own lunch to work, in the right portions, heavy with green veggies. I ate like a pig (always do), but in the end, hadn't sabotaged my inner self's desire to flatten, smooth and firm up particular body parts.

Of all the things to worry about!

I had a dream this week that I was with a man. The dream was going along and was good. That is, until I kissed him.

It was terrible. The kiss was a lot of bumping teeth and lips that didn't connect. It was terrible!

I actually woke the next morning wondering if that's what my next kiss would be like. If I weren't a little nervous about dating before (I was), then I would be after that dream!

What a strange thing to worry about, I think. I guess it's just another way that I'm worried that I am out of practice or somehow not good enough for the ideal man I'm chasing. I know that's silly, but I guess those little insecurities sometimes pop up.

Besides, Mr. Right will fit me just great. I know it!

Reading Like a Fiend

I started to think this morning about all the books I've read in the last 10-12 months. From what I can remember:

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown
Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon (re-reading this series)
Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon
Voyager, by Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Autumn, by Diana Gabaldon
The Fiery Cross, by Diana Gabaldon (in progress)

First day down!

So, I went in and did my first day at the gym. Sam showed me how to use the circuit training machines and I did a circuit. It was pretty quick and easy!

I learned that my arm muscles are much weaker than I thought! My legs did much, much better. Tomorrow I'm going to try an elliptical machine and do my calves & abs again.

I'm so glad to get over the first time, and to feel a little more comfortable there than when I first walked in. I'll have to try to remember to weigh myself tomorrow. Not that I'm trying to lose a bunch of weight or anything, but just that I'm curious. I don't own my own scale and so I usually only find out how much I weigh once a year at my annual physical.

It has been cold and rainy all day today! It is awesome. Considering that Monday it was about 90 plus degrees, and that today it has been in the 50s and 60s, it has been a bit of a shock. But a good one. We've had a lot of hot days this summer, so I'm really loving my first early taste of fall.

Exercise, here I come!

I signed up for a one week trial at a local gym. The trial week starts tomorrow.

I've been thinking about this for a while, but just hesitated about actually doing it. I'm not sure how other people feel, but I have a certain amount of fear associated with going to a gym and learning all the machines and being around other people who know what they're doing.

I'm not sure where this fear came from, but it's time for it to go! I have a goal of going to the gym at least 3 times in the next week, starting tomorrow. If I end up liking it, I will sign up for a monthly membership until I feel like I can make a 6 month commitment.

White Lasagna

White lasagna is one of those foods that I've always wanted to try making, but never have. Until now.

I have friends coming over for dinner tomorrow night and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what to make. My friends are awesome, a really nice couple who are fun to hang out with. Their house is so cute and designed in a style that I love (it's like straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog). They have hosted the last few times we've gotten together.

They like food, but their tastes are pretty simple. When I thought back to the last few meals at their place, they included steak, steak, hamburgers and tacos. I started asking them about their likes and dislikes so I could figure out what to make.

Their dislikes between the two of them include eggplant, raw onions, citrus, mushrooms and raw tomatoes. And those are just the ones that my friend thought of when we were talking.

So, I'm trying to play it pretty safe because I want them to be happy with the food. But I also wanted to try making something new and different, partly for me and partly for them.

This white lasagna recipe includes chicken, spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and a white sauce made from butter, onions, garlic, milk, chicken broth, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

The other thing I'm going to make is Caesar salad, with fresh dressing. We'll see how much anchovy I can sneak into the dressing without making it too fishy.

I'll post some pics of the finished products and report on whether or not they liked the food.

Survival Italian

That's the name of a book I've borrowed from my local library. It covers the basics, simple stuff you'd need to get by in Italy.

Which makes me wonder, is there a Survival Dating?

I actually asked my neighbor's 13-year-old daughter where to go to meet cute guys. She replied, "The mall?" So, I asked, well if I see a cute guy at the mall, how do I meet him? She said, "Drop your purse?"

Which, of course, reminded me of the "bend and snap" scene from Legally Blonde!

After doing some searching on Amazon, I realized that there are a ton of books out there that I might do good to read. Everything from, Why Men Marry Bitches to How to Be a Super Hot Woman to Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE. There are Christian versions of dating books. There are books with commanding titles, such as The Rules.

As for me, I'm going to check out How to Be a Super Hot Woman. I'll let you know when the boys start banging down my door!

My Favorite Food Porn

I love beautiful pictures of food.

To imagine what flavor might flow forward upon consumption, what texture might surprise you. A picture leaves all the right things up to your imagination. What I imagine probably tastes better than the reality a lot of times!

My favorite place to spot food lately is someplace I stumbled upon, called TasteSpotting.

If you love seeing beautiful food and get inspired to cook based on photos (like me!), you should check it out.

Ahh, now I understand.

I've tried baking bread several times, with moderate success. I love my hardwood bowl and wooden mixing spoons. I have read the 10 Tips for Better Bread post that Farmgirl Fare posted in 2005. I would have assumed that I'd be a purist at heart, because of my love of the special, the artisinal, and the handmade.

Then, my friend gave me a bread machine.

I didn't know if it even worked, so my son and I tried it out yesterday. We used a recipe for French bread that came in the manual. I measured and dumped ingredients in. I pushed a button. And I walked away.

Three and a half hours later, the bread machine beeped three times and I had fresh bread.

My house smelled good and the bread had a good crunchy crust on it. I wasn't cooking tons of fresh bread by hand before, and now....I'm not sure when I'll do it again!

I'm on the hunt for recipes to use in the machine. I've found a few that I want to try so far.

Now I think I understand the appeal of bread machines.