Out of the Blue

Welcome 2012!

 

I love the way a new year feels.....full of promise, hope, unbroken resolutions (smile)! How many goals have each of you been planning for 2012? I promised myself that as 2011 came to a close, I would focus on what things I had accomplished, a more positive approach. Hmmm....let's reflect. What would I put on that list?

1. Finally achieved my goal weight after 30 years of not having done so.

2. Did a complete "clean sweep" of my home and cleared out EVERYTHING that did not get used.

3. Organized my closet to color coordinate all of the "same-size" clothes I now own (no longer ranging between four sizes, including the "someday this will fit again category).

4. Exercised a minimum of five out of seven days per week.

Okay, I've got to stop. I can't even make it past four on that list, since those are all huge fibs! Well, pretty much. I have not achieved my goal weight but my sister and I did join Weight Watchers recently. It's helped us focus on our new year mantra of "eat well, live well, do good."  God has blessed me with a very healthy body, thus far in my life. Amazing when I think of all the crazy diets and exercise regimens I have made it endure through the years.

My doctor even made the comment last month, looking at my annual physical lab results, "If you could bottle and sell this, you would be a very wealthy woman."  She explained how all my "numbers" were exactly where they should be, low when it was preferred to be low and so on.

It made me stop and really think. When we're healthy, we have a tendency to take it for granted. Having lost my dad and brother both to cancer, and helping my mom settle into a nursing home this past year as her Alzheimer's progresses, I know that health is something that can be stolen in an instant.

That being the case, I guess my New Year's resolution for 2012 will be to live a good life....as Oprah says "your best life" (and you know if Oprah says it, it has to be right).  To do that, I do want to accomplish those four things on the list above (I say those every year), learn to be a better listener, friend, manager, sibling, daughter, designer.......learn to be more forgiving of what I consider to be my failures, which often is just a lack of time, but frustrating all the same when I can't "do it all."

I hope that 2012 will bring you closer to reaching all your goals and dreams. Hey! The ball just dropped in Times Square on the television - Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Inspiration...

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands..."  1 Thessalonians 4:11

Wow! I think I found my new year resolution. Isn't it beautiful? I love it when something hits me out of the blue like that. I think that's a good start for a Monday, wouldn't you agree?

Snowman Poop

This is one of my favorite holiday snack recipes - Snowman Poop! Okay, I admit, normally around our house we just call it peanut butter popcorn, but I have been known to bag it at Christmas and attach this poem: 

Heard you were naughty,

so here's the scoop.

All you're getting for Christmas

is Snowman Poop! 

Last week I made two batches, enough to fill 20 quart sized bags. My husband was good enough to do the stirring and deliver the bags to our American Legion Women's Auxilliary. The group was sending holiday gift boxes to enlisted personnel. One of the girls asked for the recipe at that time, so here it is. This will make approximately 28 cups when complete (depending on how much you eat as you mix it). 

• 3 - regular size bags microwave popcorn (lite, regular, butter, etc)
• 1 - 20 oz package almond bark
• 2 cups of peanuts (more or less, your choice)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

You'll need two bowls to start, one to mix in (my bowl holds 32 cups) and one to put the popcorn in as you open each bag.

This is an important step. You need to empty the popcorn into this first bowl, so the unpopped kernels fall to the bottom, otherwise, if these get into your mix, later they look like a peanut and will cause serious dental damage or pain. Reach in and sift the popcorn through your fingers and into the big bowl, leaving these unpopped kernels behind. 

Next, melt the almond bark, preferably in a glass container, because this cleans so easily in hot water afterwards. I melt the bark for a few minutes using the defrost setting on my microwave. This seems to work well and doesn't overheat or burn the contents.

After melted, mix in the peanut butter, then pour over the popcorn and start stirring. If you're on Weight Watchers, this should count for some sort of activity points, because you're really going to work some arm muscles. Add your peanuts and continue to stir until everything is coated.

 You can either use cookie sheets or, as I do, lay out some wax paper then spread your popcorn mix on it, and allow it to cool for a few hours to let the coating dry. Enjoy!

Tis the season.....

Is it only me or is anyone else looking at the calendar and wondering where 2011 went? I hope all of you are further along than I am with the holiday shopping and decorating. At least I have the excuse that I have been working fast and furious in the sewing room. I only have a few projects left to finish, wrap and then a big sigh of relief.