On the other hand…

Even though I don’t use them, I do often wonder if diet pills (like Hydroxycut) work, and if the weight loss can be maintained. I mean… there are just so many different pills on the market. It is absolutely dizzying! I don’t know anyone personally who has taken them, but clearly people do. I just remember seeing the old Dexatrim commercials during “General Hospital” after school years and years ago. Everyone was freaked out by how dangerous it could be, LOL. Man, if they could only have seen 30 years into the future!

Losing Weight

So I weighed myself this morning and I am down a couple of pounds! Yay! I really want to get back to where I was this time last year, and I am not too far off. I know a lot of people use diet pills, but since it’s only a few pounds, I am just trying to be careful with what I eat and get some extra exercise. It seems to be working. Of course, at this time of year I totally crave all kinds of yummy breads and desserts, as well as creamy casseroles and comfort food. It is NOT always easy to resist temptation, but I try to keep it all balanced. If I know I’m going to have something indulgent at dinner, I will have a veggie-rich lunch. It all evens out and hopefully I can get these last few pounds off by Christmas!

Bummer

Not that long ago I had applied for a part-time receptionist position at a local eye doctor’s office. It was just a couple days a week and would have been perfect for me to make a little extra money for the holidays. It wasn’t absolutely necessary, but would have been nice. At any rate, I never did hear back from them. I’m not sure what their employment screening criteria are, but I have a feeling I probably am just overqualified. It’s too bad because I think I have great people and organizational skills, but what are you going to do? It just wasn’t meant to be I guess.

Apple Crisp

Last night I made my favorite apple crisp recipe and thought I’d share it with you. But  beware: it is absolutely delicious. You will want to eat a lot of it, and I don’t want to be held responsible for any weight gain that might result in the need for weight loss pills, LOL. At any rate, I hope you enjoy, because my family does!

4 Cups sliced apples
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 Cup water
1/3 Cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 Cup flour
1 Cup sugar

Place apples in buttered 10×6×2 baking dish. Sprinkle cinnamon, salt & water. Rub together flour, sugar & butter. Drop mixture over apples. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

This is from a vintage Betty Crocker Kid’s Cookbook that I have. I’ve tried many apple crisp recipes but this simple version is by far the best!

Autumn Decorating

I’ve been having so much fun putting fall touches in all the rooms in my house. Fall is my favorite season, and I have a lot of fun with it. I’ve been putting votive candle holders on my shelves and lighting them at night to create a cozy atmosphere. I have lots of pumpkins everywhere, as well as many apple-themed decorations. We also have a lot of Halloween-specific decoration, but I am waiting until October rolls around to put those up. Seems a little early yet. The leaves are starting to change their colors up here and the cooler weather is rolling in. Makes me a little sad how fast the year has gone by. And winter isn’t exactly my favorite season, but hopefully this year it will be a little better since the driveway — the source of much angst over the last four years — is finally paved and will be easier to clear. It’s going to come either way, so I guess I will just make the best of it!

So much to do!

Argh! So I am kind of stressed out today. I feel like I just have SO MUCH to do this week, but today in particular. In about 45 minutes I need to interview someone for a newspaper article. Then I need to write up that story, as well as one from an interview I conducted on Thursday. I to go through myrecipes and finalize a meal plan for the week. Oh, and have you seen the mountain of laundry that needs to be folded, ironed, and put way? Not to mention errands to the bank, post office and grocery store… YIKES! I am hoping that once this interview is done I’ll feel like a have a better handle on things. I just have a feeling it’s going to be a tough one. Hopefully I”m wrong.

What’s that for?

So yesterday when I was reading the newspaper, I noticed an ad for a dentist who was really playing up the “family friendly” angle. We all have to go before the end of the year, so I read through it all and everything sounded great. But one thing confused me - the ad made a big point of stating that the dentist uses a pulse oximeter. I’m not even sure what, exactly, that is! Naturally I looked it up, but not everyone would. I just thought it was strange to kind of brag about something that seems so technical. Or maybe I’m just not on the cutting edge of dentistry - who knows? It *has* been a long time since I’ve gone!

Cuts like a knife…

But of course, is not a knife. My clumsy streak continues. Yesterday at like 5:30 in the morning I decided to put up a few autumn decorations. Why so early? Well, a certain three year old decided it was time to get up. And I had nothing else to do. I wanted to put this sweet little wreat around my hurricane lamp. I got the glass part off easily, put my little wreath around the base, and as I was replacing the glass part it shattered in my hand. At 5:30 in the morning. Sigh… not a great way to start the day, but at least I wasn’t cut badly. It made more of a mess than anything. The today I was on the phone with my dad, who had time to kill because he’d just cut his hand with a box cutter and was waiting for the bleeding to stop! At least it was a clean cut. But still… I guess it’s clear where my gracefulness comes from!

Telling Time

So Jake is starting to learn how to tell time. He kind of gets it, but certainly needs more practice. Of course, he is just six, so that is no surprise, LOL! He has a watch that he likes to wear, so that’s a start. Even if he doesn’t always know what time it is, he’s becoming familiar with the clock face. I am sure he would get a big kick out of talking watches because he’s so into spy gear and that just seems like something a secret agent would have! But first he needs to learn the basics. Then he can go for the fancy stuff!

Canadian Rockies

The other day my mother in law was visiting and she brought the photos she had taken on her recent trip to the Canadian Rockies. Wow - what a gorgeous place! I swear, every photo was breathtaking and could easily be blown up and hung on her wall. She did tell me that she was a little nervous about the flight and being sick while she was away. She didn’t look into travel medical insurance because she was only gone for a week, but if she went on a longer vacation she might have. Of course, she didn’t have any problems at all, thankfully. She had great food, got tons of exercise, and came home with some wonderful memories!