It's been a month now since the Nasty Virus hopped on me, and 3 weeks since I got out of the hospital.  You'd think I'd be back to my usual workout schedule, but it hasn't happened that way.

• I was shocked to realize that after about 11 days with no physical activity whatsoever, I had not only lost weight – which I expected – but I had lost a lot of muscle.  I don't understand how it can take months of regular focused exercise to build muscle and muscle tone, but only 11 days to lose a huge percentage of it!?  Somebody needs to splain that to me!
• It was really jarring to me to realize how weak and puny I had become, when I had gone into this illness as a very strong and healthy person.  To walk up the stairs to my condo almost winded me, and to stand up after kneeling was a huge challenge for my quadriceps.
• And stamina?  Forget about it!  After sleeping 10 to 11 hours a night, I still woke up exhausted and struggled to work even half a day.

Those are the facts of the situation.  So what to do about that situation?  I NEEDED to get back to working out; both physically and mentally.  But how well should you feel before resuming exercise?  Should you start when you still feel crummy and build up super-gradually, or do you wait until you feel better to begin at all?  Meanwhile, how much more fitness would be lost?  I haven't really known the right thing to do, but I do know that my body is saying “I NEED EXERCISE!”

So off I went to the internet to do a little research about resuming exercise after an illness. Melanie at Healthy Eating Coach talks about the struggle of getting started again, and she reinforced my thoughts to walk first and then gradually add back in weights with more strenuous workouts much later.

There is a great article on TheBody.com which addresses the importance of listening to your body, resting without necessarily sleeping, getting back to your work routine before adding exercise back in, and eating well even if you don't feel like it.  Excellent advice!

The Denver Post also provides some excellent guidelines to follow when you're getting back to an exercise regimen.  I thought it was a great tip to work out at the gym during less crowded times, since your resistance to germs could still be diminished.

And lastly, I found that according to the National Institute of Health, exercise boosts the immune system. They say that:

• exercise flushes bacteria from the lungs
• exercise may flush out carcinogens (cancer-causing cells) by increasing output of waste
• exercise sends antibodies and white blood cells through the body at a faster rate
• bacterial growth may be reduced by the rise in body temperature when you exercise
• stress-related hormones that increase the risk of illness are reduced with exercise

I didn't know all of these things, did you?  These are all great reasons to get back on track!

After reading all this information and thinking it through, I decided that moderation and patience were the keys, as well as common sense.  This past weekend was gorgeous weather, and I couldn't stay indoors resting on the sofa one more day.  So my modified workout plan resumed.  Here's what I did:

• One hour walks outdoors last Saturday and Sunday at a slow pace
• Three trips to the gym during the week for walks on the treadmill at a medium pace
• One hour walks outdoors this Saturday and Sunday at a medium pace
• Plans for this week include stepping up the treadmill pace a bit and adding a few minutes to the workout, and adding a couple of light weight workouts.
• I also want to add back in my yoga and pilates workouts, but I'm trying not to overdo it so that may be placed on the agenda for next week if I'm up to it.  I feel like the first order of business should be to do the light cardio and build from there.

So far, it's feeling fantastic to be active again, even at a reduced level.  I can feel my muscles beginning to wake up a little, and they're very happy about it!  Hopefully this process will continue to go smoothly.  It's been an exercise in patience, if nothing else!  How about you?  Have you had this experience, and how did you handle it?

~BigSis

Posted under Health

Hey LilSis, I think it's a really appropriate time to talk about stress since we're all about to go into Turbo-Speed Stress Season. We all have holiday stress for different reasons. Many of us get so excited at the holidays that we overcommit and underestimate how much time all of these things will take. We may have financial issues that make the holidays stressful, and unless we decide to be smart when it comes to our financial planning, there is a chance that this money may not see us through the rest of the month. When we start the holidays off on the wrong foot, like not having enough finances, it could seriously affect how the rest of the break goes. It nearly happened to my friend once, but luckily he decided to invest in things like Bitcoin and even went one step further and decided to Buy Bitcoin with other payment methods, or Bitcoin mit anderen Zahlungsarten kaufen as they would say in his native language of German and because of the trading that he did, it wasn't long until his financial issues were no more. He managed to get rid of them and could live the remainder of the holidays in a much better way. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen to everyone and they may have other pressing matters to worry about.

Some people are sad at the holidays and dread going through it, and feeling like they have to do things they really aren't up for. Other people have family issues that can't be avoided at get-togethers. Many us of just feel pulled in too many directions at one time. One of my friends was having a lot of stress surrounding caring for her elderly parents, who could no longer care for themselves, therefore they could try and get some in-home assistance to give her a break and enjoy her time with her parents again. There are many places that can provide this service such as Seniors Helping Seniors Baton Rouge, and help take the weight off a family member's feet.

For whatever reason, we're ALL going to have stress to some degree over the next couple of months. Maybe we can all help each other out by sharing some ways to tame stress since it's such a universal experience! I'll start us off.

• My favorite way to manage holiday stress is to plan and start early! I already mentioned that I'm doing another Christmas bake sale for the SPCA on December 14th. How can I commit three full weekends to baking, just before Christmas? It helps that I'm kuku/kookoo (how do you spell that?), but I actually started planning a week ago. The baking team has already had a meeting, and we all know pretty much what we're baking, except for a couple of new recipes that I'm going to test-drive this week. I'm going to have all my Christmas shopping done before baking time starts, as well as all the bake sale shopping, and packaging for the bake sale goodies will be ordered this week.

How does my bit of planning translate to organizing your holiday season?

• Even though it seems way too early to start thinking about the holidays, do it now! How often do you hear yourself say that the holidays just “snuck up on you”? There's no sneaking! Christmas comes at the same time year after year! We just haven't planned for it!

• First of all, have a brainstorming session with yourself. Find half an hour of quiet time, and just make a rambling list of everything you can think of that you need to do between now and New Year's Day. As more and more things come to mind later, add them to your list. Just getting thoughts out of your brain and onto paper will give you a serious chunk of peace of mind. Sign me up for some of that!

• Now go back over the Master List you brainstormed, and start making Detailed Lists. If you included “buy gifts” on your Master List, then make a Gift Idea List. List everyone you want to buy for, and then start listing any gift ideas you have. You can see where the holes are. If you have no ideas at all for Uncle Paul, then make yourself a note to call Aunt Paula to find out what Uncle Paul wants. If your list includes “send Christmas cards”, then start a separate list of the recipients, and check to see if you're missing any addresses. Look for those addresses now, and not on December 22nd! You'll also know how many cards to buy when you're in the store, and won't have to run back out for more at the last minute.

• Make yourself a notebook, folder or binder with all of your lists and keep it with you! If you work outside your home, take it with you in a tote. It doesn't do any good to have a plan if you don't have it available to refer to when you need to.

• Now that your lists are in the works, next get yourself a calendar going. You might like a big wipe-off calendar that can be displayed in the kitchen for everyone to see, or maybe a calendar in your planner or on your phone works bet for you. Whatever it is, start adding every party, every cookie exchange, every school function and every travel itinerary on it as you find out about them. Grill your family for all of their commitments. Update this calendar immediately as new functions are discovered. Threaten your family that failure to notify you of a commitment means they have to eat the fruitcake that's been regifted since 1974. Or you could say that Santa will bring them a lump of coal, but that would be pretty mean. 😀

• Practice saying “no”. The reality is, you won't be able to do everything that is asked of you for the next couple of months. It doesn't mean you're a bad person. You can say “no” to good things in order to say “yes” to the best things!

That's how I get my holiday season organized, and it really seems to help me to just write things down! It's a simple thing but it has a huge impact. You won't wake up in the middle of the night worrying about whether you're going to forget to bake the two dozen cupcakes for the school if you've already put that on the calendar.

If you have other ideas, please pass them on. Over the next few weeks, we're going to be on a mission to find other thoughts and tips that we think might help us all enjoy this glorious season even more!

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays

Here it is only three weeks into the New Year and I'm already behind on my menu planning. I wanted to try harder to come up with healthy choices for family dinners each week. I know a big part of my problem right now is the time factor.  If I had more time, it would be more fun to peruse these cookbooks, plan the meals for the week, make the shopping list, and get all the shopping done the same day. (Oh, in a perfect world!)

Some of my favorites!

I really do love browsing through cookbooks and trying to plan more of a variety each week. If I tell HayHay that we're having turkey meatloaf again, I'm afraid his head might spin! And he's the easy one to please…

Seriously, though.  These are some of my favorite “go to” cookbooks for a wide variety of healthy recipes. When I do take the time to look through any one of these, I always find something pretty easy and healthy. I especially like a recipe that has the nutritional information included, like most of these do.

One thing I always forget about planning for is dessert. (I've said before that my guys are deprived of sweets.)   If anyone has any easy, healthy, dessert recipes, I'd love to hear from you.

~LilSis

Posted under Food

Hey BigSis! I bet you wish you had some of BigT's homemade Pita Chips to go along with that hummus! I normally buy my pita chips from Trader Joe's but these were really good! I'll definitely be making this recipe myself!

BigT just started the P90X Workout Regime a couple of weeks ago so he's being very disciplined with his meal planning. (If all goes according to plan, maybe we'll have him do a guest post in the near future about his progress.)

The last couple of mornings that I've been up at 5:30, the same fitness expert, Tony Horton, that does the P90X videos has a new program called The 10 Minute Trainer. I've actually gotten sucked into that infomercial! The guy is good! I'm actually considering getting the videos.

Healthy snacks are a part of the daily plan, so BigT decided to make a big batch of these pita chips to take to work. I'm not sure where the original recipe came from but he got it from his stepmom, C.

Pita Chips

1 T. Kosher Salt
1 T. Dried Basil
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Onion Powder
1 t. Dried Oregano
1/2 t. Black Pepper
1/4 t. Celery Salt
1/2 c. Olive Oil
8 Pitas (he used Western Bakery Alternative Pita Bread)

Mix all spices and oil in a large bowl. Cut the pita bread into eighths. Toss the pita pieces into the spice & oil mixture, then place on a single layer onto two cookie sheets. Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

When these were done, I was wishing that I had some of your Healthy Hummus to dip them in!

~LilSis

Posted under Food

There's so much going on in TV-land this week!  American Idol is down to the top two finalists now (sorry, Danny, I didn't vote), Dancing with the Stars is down to the top three couples, Gray's Anatomy had their season finale episode last night, and The Biggest Loser wrapped up this week. Those are the big ones I know about and I'm sure there are lots of others.  But do I care about any of these shows?  Nope.  All I care about is one thing…Lost!  Wednesday night's episode is the last one that I'll see before the final season starts.  I think I'm mourning it already.  Lost is the one show I faithfully watch without fail.  I'll watch Idol and enjoy it, but it's no biggie if I miss it.  Do I miss a minute of Lost?  Oh, hell, no!

So what happened Wednesday night?  What didn't happen!  These are the notes I scribbled down to talk about with my fellow “Losties”:

• So Jacob met young Kate stealing?  And young Sawyer at his parents' funeral?  And Sayid when Nadia died?  And Alanna in bandages? And John Locke after he flew out the window?  And Sun and Jin at their wedding?  And Jack at the hospital?  And Hurley outside the prison?   And he was speaking all those languages?  And flying around in time?  What the heck does it MEAN??

• What's in the guitar case Jacob left in the cab with Hurley?

• How long had Jacob been living at the giant statue?  Why is there only an ankle and a foot left?  How did Jacob get there?  Who was the other guy who wanted to kill him?

• Is Jacob really dead?  How could he let Ben kill him?  Surely he knew it was coming!

• What's the deal with Jacob being so kind and caring?  Didn't we think he'd be monster-ish?  He was downright nice!

• Why did the other plane survivors, led by Alanna, turn weird?  Or maybe they were always weird and we're just now seeing it.  What does it mean that they think Lapidus is a candidate?

• We were all digging the new confident John Locke, right?  But now we have a question.  WHO IS THE NEW LOCKE??  Did the dude looking for a loophole just assume John's identity?  What??

• Hasn't Jack changed a TON since getting back to the island?  First, he's Mr. Philosophical Man…it's our destiny, the island wants this or that, blabbedy blah.  Second, he's Mr. Gun-Toting Man.  Have we ever seen him shoot anyone?  I can't recall it if we have, but he was shooting anything that moved this week, like he'd just channeled Dirty Harry.  And, thirdly, now he's Mr. Fight Club?  He and Sawyer have definitely been building up to the Mother of All Fights for years, but this was a bloody doozie!  What would have happened if they'd been allowed to fight to the death?

• On a lighter note, what was the point of finding Bernard and Rose playing house in the jungle?  I was kind of hoping we'd seen the last of wimpy Bernard.  But it was nice to see that dear old Vincent was still a survivor.

• Once the nuke had been tossed into the hole, why were these people all standing around the drill site pickin' their dirty noses??  Wouldn't you run like heck?  I would.  But that's just me.

• Ok, as much as I loved this last episode, there's one thing I'm just not buying, and that's the whole mind-changing thing going on with the girls.  Juliet is so convinced – by her nemesis Kate, no less – of the wrongness of Jack's bomb plan that she gives up her last chance to get off the island, while she's in the ding dang sub, for cryin' out loud?  But 5 minutes later, she's changed her mind?  Huh?  And increasingly-annoying Kate is on her self-righteous white horse to stop Jack from making this mortal error, but five minutes later, she's changed her mind too??  What?  I get it…a woman's prerogative is to change her mind, but I didn't buy it this time.  Sorry, it seemed contrived to me.

• So we think we've seen the last of Juliet.  Finally!  Whew!  Isn't it ironic that she's been so periodically untrustworthy and generally irritating, and now she may actually turn out to be a martyr and secret hero for cussing out the bomb and bashing it with a rock?  That is, if the bomb plan worked…once it blew, did it work?

Those are my thoughts, although I should say those are my questions.  Isn't that what we love about Lost though?  That as much as we learn, we always have more questions and we can never predict what will happen?  Oh, and there's one more thing that I love about Lost.

Did you think I could leave Lost til next season without a little more deliciosity to get us through these long, cold, lonely months?  Oh, hell, no!

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

Week three in the Ten in 10 Challenge was a good week for me. I feel good; and basically that's what this challenge is all about; making 2010 a healthy and happy year. Here are a few things I learned this past week.

• Before this challenge started, I had a pretty good workout routine, but never had it in writing. Some days I would walk and some days I would go to the gym, but always at different times of the day; whenever I could squeeze it in. Now, I've discovered that I really like having my weekly exercise plan written down. I know what I'm doing that morning and I know what time I'm doing it. And, it was pretty easy to stick to it. I just had to organize my work schedule around my exercise schedule. (Luckily, I'm able to do that right now.)

• It's really interesting to try different yoga classes and experience different instructors' styles. In my class at the Y on Monday, the instructor taught us how to incorporate the use of a tall rattan pole into our practice. Last week, he used straps. Not knowing what to expect in his class makes it more fun! Then on Friday, I was a little disappointed when I saw a sub come into the classroom. I was thinking to myself, is she going to be any good? (Be careful what you think to yourself.) I could barely keep up! She was harder and faster than our normal instructor. I thoroughly got my fanny kicked that day!

• I'm really happy about getting back into the routine of making my meal plan for the week, writing it down and doing all the shopping on Sunday. It's made life a little less hectic when it comes time for dinner. And, I really like keeping my food log. I wasn't sure if I could stick to it, but this little fitbook is really making it fun and easy to do. I love being able to give myself a happy face when I've had a healthy meal.

• My family really loves brussel sprouts! I've tried a different recipe each week and they love them! Yay! Another green veggie to add to our weekly menu. I had a little obsession about having to eat something green with every meal.

• I finally found a White Turkey Chili Recipe that my guys love. I'll share the recipe with you later this week.

• I actually can survive on the “no beer during the week” rule.

I feel like I lost at least a pound this week, but chose not to get on the scale yesterday. I know myself well enough to know that during this time of the month, the scale is usually up three pounds. (Sorry if that's too much info.) I didn't want to get discouraged, so I'll get back on the silly scale next Friday.

I've tried really hard to keep negativity away from me this week. I had a little unwanted drama try to creep in this week, but I finally had to set a boundary and tell that person that I can't talk to them right now. I have to surround myself with positive people and positive energy this year. We've got a lot of changes going on with our business and I'm  trying to launch something new which is requiring a lot of time learning some things outside of my comfort zone. In order to be as productive as possible, I've decided that I just don't have time for negative people in my life.

I hope everyone had a happy, successful week! I'm looking forward to week four and to reading all the updates from other participants. Even if you aren't doing a weekly update on your blog, I'd love to hear from you. So, leave me a comment and let me know about your week!

~LilSis

Posted under Health

We've been talking so much about Valentine's goodies these last two weeks that we haven't yet mentioned that February is Heart Healthy Month. Heart disease is still the number one cause of death in the United States and a major cause of disability.

Moreover, did you know that if you or someone you know is suffering from a form of heart disease, you may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits? Additionally, there are a range of sickness and disability benefits heart failure patients may be entitled to claim if they are unable to work.

Correspondingly, if you would like to learn more about disability insurance policies for people living with heart disease, researching common questions such as ‘what is disability insurance?‘ online is a fantastic way to get the answers you need.

Being unable to work can have financial consequences and therefore it is important to understand the different types of financial support and insurance that are available.

Even though heart disease is sometimes thought of as a “man's disease”, women make up almost 50% of heart disease deaths. This fact from the CDC is pretty alarming.

“Heart disease is often perceived as an ‘older woman's disease', and it is the leading cause of death among women aged 65 years and older. However, heart disease is the third leading cause of death among women aged 25–44 years and the second leading cause of death among women aged 45–64 years.”

The CDC also states that nine out of ten heart disease patients have at least one risk factor. Several conditions and lifestyle choices can put women at a higher risk, including:

• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Cigarette smoking
• Overweight and obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• Alcohol use

We are all aware of the dangers that these factors can have on our health, yet it can be hard for some people to make that initial step to change. Many people avoid the simple task of taking daily vitamins and supplements to get their health up to standard. There are many websites created by professionals of heart health, such as gundry md and many more, that give advice on the best supplements to be taking to take care of your heart. But it doesn't have to be that difficult. Take smoking cigarettes, for example. The road to quitting is the aim of most people and some may like to make the switch to vaping first, and brands like voopoo could be the best place to turn, especially if you want to stop smoking tobacco and nicotine-infused products. In turn, this will prevent you from suffering from the effects that smoking can have on your health, making that first big change to living a healthier life.

As well as this, most of us know that our leading weapon against heart disease is a healthy diet and routine exercise. Heart disease is rampant in my hubby's family so cooking heart-healthy recipes is always on my mind when I plan our menus.

Last year, our physician recommended that my hubby get this book.

The DASH Diet Action Plan: Based on the National Institutes of Health Research: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension

We did buy the book and found it to be very informative and helpful, so I would suggest it to anyone who may not know where to begin trying to lower their cholesterol and blood pressure.

And, this is an excellent cookbook from the American Heart Association.

American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, 4th edition: Delicious Recipes to Help Lower Your Cholesterol

Here are Life's Simple Seven, seven heart health factors from the American Heart Association. You can get your assessment on Life's Simple Seven simply by taking seven minutes to answer a few questions to learn the state of your heart and what you can do to live a better life.

I took the assessment and it didn't even take five minutes. You can spare five minutes, can't you?

~LilSis

Posted under Health

Yes, it's that time of year again. It's time to start thinking about the new year and whether or not you'll be making any New Year's Resolutions for yourself.

Some people despise New Year's Resolutions, but I love them. Resolutions and/or goals help me to stay focused and motivate me to start the year off on a positive note. They don't have to be something major like quitting smoking or losing 20 pounds. They can be small goals that you would like to achieve or just a few things that you would like to improve on during the new year.

(photo credit: Zastavki)

But, before I look forward to 2012, I want to take a little time to revisit my Resolutions for 2011.  In 2010, I had 12 things on my list and that was a bit difficult to maintain throughout the year, so for 2011, I purposely made a shorter, more realistic list.

I only had five things on my list for 2011, so let's see how I did.

1. Goal. GO TO BED EARLIER.

Reality: This one is really, really hard for me because night time is finally my time to relax and do whatever I want to do, without interruptions. The first part of the year I had a crazy schedule which made it easy for me to stay up too late if I didn't have an early morning. About four months ago, I got a regular, set schedule which has me starting work at 4:00 a.m. so I HAVE FINALLY learned how to force myself to go to bed at 9:00 p.m.

2. Goal. Plan healthy meals for the week and do all grocery shopping in one trip.

Reality: I try so hard to do this on Mondays, but depending on my work schedule how manic the Monday happens to be, I don't always make this happen. I despise last minute trips to the grocery store two or three times a week, so this is back on the list for 2012.

3. Goal. Get back to yoga class twice a week.

Reality: Since I work on the mornings when my favorite classes are held at the gym, this didn't work out. Yoga is definitely at the top of my list for 2012. If I can't get to the gym, I'll find a way to do it at home. My sanity and “mental well-being” depend on it!

4. Goal. Restrict weekday “cocktails” and afternoon snacking.

Reality: I would have to say that I've managed to cut out most afternoon snacking on the weekdays, but need to get stricter on the weekends. I've done better on weekday cocktails, unless, of course, someone calls me and wants to get together for a drink during the week. But, I have learned how to say “no”, sometimes.

5. Goal. Weigh in once a week on Friday morning.

Reality: I'm pretty good about doing this but it needs to be more of a mandatory thing so I don't let 3 or 4 pounds sneak up on me. I'm not one who is going to weigh every morning, but it's much easier for me to maintain my weight when I weigh once a week. This is still on my list for 2012.

(photo credit: indieshuffle)

Considering that 2011 was a tough year in a lot of ways, I feel pretty good about not completely “throwing in the towel” when it comes to trying to stay in shape.

Between age, stress, hormones and a work schedule that prevents me from early morning exercise, a few pounds have managed to sneak back on my body. So…what am I going to do about it?

Stay tuned.  I'll be back soon with my plan for 2012.

~LilSis

Posted under Holidays

One of the things I love about blogging is the community.  We share a common interest, and it seems to me that most bloggers are very supportive of each other and encourage each others' success.  And if you're lucky, at some point you might get to meet your online friends in person.

The other thing I really like is that bloggers know food!  If I see a recipe posted by Anna, Peabody, Grace, Cathy, Susan, Michelle, Susan, Lisa, or  Heather (among many, many other incredible cooks and bakers), I am confident that I can make that recipe and it'll turn out great.  If I have any questions or problems, or successes I want to share, then I know who to go to.  I can't do that with the cookbooks on my shelves.

The only problem with online recipes though is how to organize them.  I used to highlight the recipe and paste it into Microsoft Word, then print it out and save it to my hard drive.  But then I had all of these hard copies to sort and file, and who ever goes back through all of those?  There's too much paper in our lives to deal with already.  And invariably I save a recipe to my laptop at home, and then later need to access the recipe at work so I can pick up the ingredients on my way home.

What if you could save an online cookbook of all your favorite recipes, sorted the way you want it?  Well, you can do just that and it's super duper easy!  Are you using Delicious bookmarks?  If you are, then you can tweak it to organize your online recipes, and if you're not, then think about getting on board!

Delicious is awesome because you just sign up for a free account, and then you use it to bookmark your favorite pages.  It doesn't matter which computer you're on.  Your bookmarks are on Delicious, not on one particular computer.  The other cool thing is that you can choose to share your bookmarks and your personalized cookbook with other people that you specify.

So, let's set up your online cookbook!

• First, access your account at http://delicious.com or set up a new account.

• In the right sidebar, click on Tag Options and choose Manage Tag Bundles.

• A new window opens. Click on Create to make a new tag bundle.

• In #1, enter the Tag Bundle Name, something like “Emma's Cookbook”.  In #2, enter the tags that you want to use to sort your cookbook.  Separate your tags with spaces.  You could use broad categories like appetizers, vegetables, meat, and dessert, or you could use more specific tags like cookies, chocolate, soup, potatoes, quiche, candy, fruit, etc.  You get the idea.  It's totally up to you and how you want to organize your recipes.

• Click on the green Save button, and you're done!  Voila!

Now, when you go back to your Delicious home page, you'll see your tag bundle listed on the right sidebar under Tag Bundles.  To place a recipe into your cookbook, just add your tags to it before you save the bookmark.  Delicious will sort it into your cookbook bundle, and you just have to click on the tags in your cookbook to show all of the recipes with that tag.

If you decide later that you want to add more tags to your cookbook, just choose Tag Options and Manage Tag Bundles again. Then click on Edit next to your Tag Bundle's name.  Add, change or delete your tags as you wish, then Save.

That's it!  You have your own online cookbook, wherever you are!  I hope that you give this a try and enjoy it as much as I do!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club kicks off its 2009 horse racing season in high style next Wednesday, July 22nd in Del Mar, California! I LOVE Opening Day at Del Mar. It's so exciting. I know some people go online to bet on the races themselves (as can be seen in this article where Love Belfast discuss the boom of Night Life in Japan, and how many are using the internet to place bets on many things), but I love being there on that first day truth be told.

And, as always, on Opening Day, you don't want to miss the “One and Only Truly Fabulous Hats Contest”. It's as much fun to watch as it is to enter. But if you REALLY want this, you can enter your hat in one of these four categories:

• Best Racing Theme
• Funniest/Most Outrageous
• Most Glamorous
• Best Fresh Flowers/Others

All entrants will receive two free passes to the races and the top three contestants in each category win cash prizes! You can sign up between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in the Plaza de Mexico, located just inside the Stretch Run admission gates.

We've made it a tradition to attend on Opening Day and I do wear a hat but have never had one quite fabulous enough to enter into the contest. Believe me when I say they go all out!

I love this pink one from last year's contest.

Flickr Photo by kjdrill

And, this one with the horse on top had to be heavy.

(Flickr photo by kjdrill)

Opening Day at Del Mar always proves to be a great day full of fun, food, glitz, and glamour. If you happen to live within driving distance and plan on making a day of it, make sure you get an early start on the I-5 to beat traffic!

I hope to see you there!!

~LilSis

Posted under This & That