Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Entries from November 1, 2008 - December 1, 2008

Entries from November 1, 2008 - December 1, 2008

Monday
Nov172008

The Hundred Push Up Challenge: Week 4 Redo!

After struggling last week with The Hundred Push Up Challenge, I was thinking only two more weeks to go, 2 weeks to go. I logged on to the Week 5 workout and discover someone wrote I should be able to max out at 30 push up before doing Week 5. This someone suggests those who fail to make the golden 30 should redo Week 4 and maybe even Week 3.

If I were in my 20s, I would feel myself a failure and give up. In my thirties, I would remain stuck on Week 4 trying to reach the golden 30, eventually fail and give up. This is a joy of being in my 40s closer to 50. I m not bound by anyone else’s standards on issues that are neither criminal nor moral!

I can wear white shoes after Labor Day, vote for the party opposed by my friends (I didn’t but I could), I can read the last page of the mystery book if I so desire (I usually do) and I can (and did) complete 3 marathons by walking not running.

I read ahead. To complete the Challenge you have to do 100 push up but you can do them in sets of ten with rest in between. To my great surprise, I realized I could do this already!

I dutifully redid Week 4 (there is no sense in blowing off a sensible suggestion). I maxed out at 25 push ups.

On to Week 5!

I love being on my 40s!

Are you finding, as you get older you are more able to define for yourself what success is?

Friday
Nov142008

Blogs Worth A Click: Odd and Interesting Addition

Not odd in the gross sense but in WoW that is interesting sense. These are individual posts on specific blogs. I can't vouch for the content of other posts on these blogs but these posts are worth a click. There is no rhyme or reason in how I listed them. This is just an eclectic list of posts that are different.

This woman sells luscious hand dyed yarns. If you knit or love a knitter this is a colorful, craving inspiring site: Daefea.

Here is an easy fun baking project for young children and/or dieting adults. A cake with just two store bought ingredients posted on The Daily Dish. I did this and it works great! I would not advise using butter pecan and orange though.

A Lego robot that can solve a Rubik's cube at Techizr (this is really cool!) Techizr references sites that will tell you how to build on of your own. This might be a appreciate gift for a tech savvy child (or adult)

A blog about street drummers, great videos: BucketBeats

A alternative use of a tampon courtesy of Green Stew. You could bookmark this idea for next Holloween

Kitchen Reto is a blast from the past.

I love the idea for this blog. Helpful and inspiring for the busy mom, A Year of CrockPotting.

Do you have an odd but interesting blog you would like to share? If so, please leave a comment.

Wednesday
Nov122008

Aging With Grace: Let’s Talk Turkey

If you are making your first Thanksgiving dinner this year, be encourage, turkey is the easiest thing to cook. You prep it, put it in the oven, heat and time do the rest. As always, I have some unsolicited grandmotherly advice on the subject:

If you have never made a turkey before get a self-basting one. This is not the time to worry bout artificial ingredients or whatever people complain about with self-basting turkeys. As you get more experience roasting turkey, you can branch out into organic, fresh, soy turkey, wherever your bliss leads you. The first time out, go for the turkey with the safety net. In addition, if you buy a frozen turkey, it can take days to thaw. Read and follow the thawing directions. Thawing out a frozen turkey is defiantly not something you can do at the last moment.

Early in the month, buy one of those big disposable roaster pans. After the stress of cooking Thanksgiving dinner that is one less thing to clean. You want to buy it early because by Thanksgiving they are to find (I know whereof I type). An instant read thermometer is very helpful also. Basters, never saw the point, get one if it makes you happy. Putting the pan on a cookie sheet will make it easier to remove the turkey from the oven.

To stuff or not to stuff the bird? Do what you want. Heed the safety warnings on stuffing turkeys. Guests who get food poisoning will not be happy campers. Personally, I find unstuffed makes for less stress.

If you do not stuff your bird, do put a couple of halved apples in to the turkey cavity. You can seed the apples but you do not have to peel them. This will help keep the turkey moist while it roasts.

It is better to depend on your instant thermometer that the little pop up timer to tell when the turkey is done. You want an internal temperature of 180 degrees F before you remove it from the oven. I prefer 200 degrees but that is just me.

Gravy, if you feel adventurous try making your own but have a couple of jars of ready-made hiding on your pantry shelf. If your gravy comes out well, you are golden and the jars can go to the nearest food bank. If not, you are covered. Gravy is important at Thanksgiving.

The biggest problem with making a Thanksgiving Dinner is timing and cleaning. You are making a usually big meal and your house has to be cleaner than usual. Two big tasks to be completed at about the same time. This plus the odd cousin, politically out spoken uncle and the female family member who is always complaining is what makes Thanksgiving dinner stressful.

Usually there are more dishes than burners and more to food to cook than oven space. The more you can prep the day before the easier your day will be. This is no time for pride, if someone offers to bring a dish, LET THEM. If they offer to come over and help clean, LET THEM.

A detailed list of what you are serving, when it has to be cooked either on a burner or in the stove will make you life easier. Start with your planned estimated serving time and work backwards so you know at what time each dish has to be cooking. Turkey has to sit for a while so food that has to be warmed or cooked can go in the oven during the turkey’s resting time. (That is the technical term for when meat sits out on the counter so the juices have time to settle: resting)

That is my grandmotherly (bossy?) little list.

Anyone else have turkey day advice they’d like to share?

Tuesday
Nov112008

Blogging in the Real World: I Deleted a Comment For The First Time

I know, I know, deleting comments is very bad blog protocol. Right up there with writing nice things about Sara Palin. I have many excuses: I was reading comments late at night, the commenter was a spammer. I know he was a spammer because 1) it was evident that he did not read my brilliant post in its entirety and 2) he disagreed with what little he did read.

Still that is no excuse. I have searched my soul, why , oh why would I relatively new blogger with a very tiny blog (Goggle barely acknowledges my existence, PR 4 blogs usually won’t link back to me even if I comment on their blogs. (Although some do…thank you) I have no Technorati authority and what is Sitemeter anyway) how dare I do such a thing? I acknowledge my humble existence.

After much soul searching, I realize the answer:

In fairness the commenter might not have been a spammer, it was late and he was disagreeable in his disagreement but that is not why I deleted the comment.

I deleted it because it was a boring comment…

My first though after finishing reading and yawning was: Why would I inflict this on anyone else?

My second though was …click.

My bad.

Anyone else delete a comment for a less than stellar reason? Please leave a comment (I won’t delete it.)I hear confession is good for the soul.

Monday
Nov102008

The Hundred Push Up Challenge: Week 4 Accent on Challenge

This is no longer easy. Last week I did 65 push ups, they were weenie push ups and I took every second of the recommended breaks between sets I could. However, I did them and though I was hot stuff.

This week, not so hot. Doing 72 push ups I though,” This is not easy.” 76 even with the rests I barely made it. 80 my mind wanted to know if there wasn’t anything better for my almost 50, not diminutive body to be doing.

The Hundred Push Up Challenge is now officially a challenge for me. I am going to do 100 push ups and my mind and body had better get with the program!

I maxed out at 22 this week for the exhaustion test.

If you want to join the challenge check out The Hundred Push Up Challenge

Sylvia commented last week her family is doing the challenge together. That is a interesting and unique memory making idea. I wish my kids would have done this with me.

I ordered Hip Hop Abs from Amazon last week. Time to go for the six-pack.

Anyone use these DVD’s ?

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