August 2009 Archives

Birthday Cheese

August 28, 2009 12:08 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
I miss my laptop. The screen went kerflewie last week and we sent it off for repair. I have been despondent. My sweet white Mac is currently in the hands of UPS and based on the shipping status found on their omniscient website, this is going to be another laptop-free weekend. Sigh.
 
It is just very lucky for me that this is my BIRTHDAY weekend and I have many fine activities planned to keep me busy. Saturday Rich has a surprise up his sleeve. I have been Very Good and not asked for hints (other than what time will I need to be ready? And what should I wear?) even though it has been difficult to with stand the temptation to badger him. On Sunday Mi Mama and I are going to make a curtain for my kitchen window. This is a project I have had simmering on the back burner for over a year. I am thrilled to be getting it done with the able guidance of Mi Mama. Let us not forget that she will also be bringing a delicious birthday lunch with her and I have been promised home-made pimento cheese. When a birthday girl can't have cake, Mama-made cheese is excellent consolation.

Late Summer

August 25, 2009 12:55 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Last Saturday Yess came to stay. And she brought cookbooks. GLORIOUS cookbooks!  We talked about food, home improvements and the future. It is always fun when Yess comes to visit. Not only is she funny, generous and indulgent, she loves my husband nearly as much as I do. So how can we go wrong?
 
I see this past weekend as a time of transition. I purchased both beautiful summer produce (Blackberries! Corn! Tomatoes! Peaches!) and the books for my latest class that starts next week. I modified sheer curtains for the french doors in our living room and rearranged our bedroom - again! I also took my first stab at making no-sugar dessert - Blackberry and Nectarine Crumble. It is hard to day why, but this weekend just felt like a big step forward.
 
After some soul searching I decided that I am not ready to introduce any kind of bread or pasta (even if it is made of sprouted grain, or brown rice) into my diet. I am doing just fine without it and wheat of any kind makes me feel vulnerable to back sliding. I Am trying out different way of using agave nectar (naturally derived alternative sweetener) with varying degrees of success. In my coffee? Not so much. In my crumble? Thumbs up! I don't see any agave ice cream in my future, but a little nectar in hand whipped cream is perfectly delightful.
 
This week is my last week of Freedom (next Tuesday, the homework assignments begin) and I will be enjoying it by cramming as many Dexter Season 3 episodes as I can. How dorky is it that I am really looking forward to the Fall tv schedule? And as summer wraps up, I am sad that there are only 2 more episodes of True Blood left. I ask you folks, what are the good citizens of Bon Temps going to do about that Maryann?
 
Quote of the Day:
In summer, the song sings itself.  ~William Carlos Williams

Happily To Myself

August 21, 2009 2:29 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
I can't remember when I have ever been so base-line happy. Over the years I have done pretty convincing fake-happy and I have also had long stretches of feeling superficially happy with an underbelly of discontent. I have also had moments of grateful bliss -- perfect hours or days that were transcendently good. But truly, having a foundation of happy beats them all.
 
I am tempted to say there isn't anything special happening at the moment to bring on all this happy, but that isn't true. The truth is I am afraid to say "out loud" what has changed for fear that it will flit away like a capricious bird, out of my grasp. This fear is compounded by a my tendency to make Grand Pronouncements that turn out to be duds. So how about we make a deal?
 
I will be happy, and keep to myself why. And you will be glad I am happy, genuinely pleased for me and patiently wait for me to reveal why. Sound good? If you prefer you can just for get this ever happened and be innocently surprised when I finally decide to start blabbing. That works for me too.
 
Despite this happy thing, I will admit that I still regret missing out on S.A.'s wedding in Sweden almost a week ago. From the pictures I have seen, it seems like a beautiful celebration and I am so happy for my friends. Congrats again S&O!

COOK BOOK CRAZY

August 13, 2009 10:49 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The cook book hunt continues. I have continued to swim along with my meal plan, bringing me to a 28 pound loss. Trust me, I am delighted, but I am also getting a little bored. That summer produce is super delicious, but I have quickly run out of interesting ways to serve it. Yesterday the new cook book I ordered arrived. It is called The Sugar Solution Cookbook: More Than 200 Delicious Recipes to Balance Your Blood Sugar Naturally by The Editors of Prevention and I really hoped it would fit my No Sugar, No Flour, blah-blah bill. I don't require every recipe to comply with my diet, but if Most did, that would just make my day.

 

Simply flipping through this book I can see it is totally useless to me. I am better off with my Betty Crocker cookbook. I ordered this book online because I couldn't find it in stores. This is a terrible idea when it come to previously unperused cookbooks. The entire first section (Breakfast) is comprised of wheat-based meals. Often with fruit juice (which I don't drink) and honey (which I don't eat), ugh!

 

It seems I forgot a major fact about my meal plan - I made it up. It is based loosly on low-Glycimic Index diets with some South Beach thrown in, but basicly it's my own Don't Want No Sugar Cravings Eating Plan. And no one has taken the time to write that cookbook yet. Le Sigh.

 

I am send this sucker back and ordering the prevously vetted and Mrs. WAS-approved The New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life by American Institute for Cancer Research. Yummy whole foods, lots of variety with a minimum of wheat foolishness. I was an idiot for not taking this recommendation sooner.

« July 2009 | Main Index | Archives | September 2009 »

About this Archive

This page is an archive of entries from August 2009 listed from newest to oldest.

July 2009 is the previous archive.

September 2009 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Search