October 24, 2008

Well, I certainly hope you’re happy, LilSis!  You just had to dangle that Food Network Magazine carrot in front of me, didn’t you?  You know that I have a magazine addiction, and that I’ve been in recovery for a couple of years now and that I’m still vulnerable.  You’d probably take a platter of brownies to a Weight Watcher’s meeting, wouldn’t you?  Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh.  I’m sorry.  But you DID just MAKE me subscribe to another ding dang magazine!  Drats!  At least I get a trial issue, and if I don’t LOVE it more than Kettle Chips and Helluva Good French Onion Dip, I’m canceling the whole thing.  I’m not kidding, I’ll do it.  I mean it this time!  I’m serious!

Stop me before the whole bag is gone!

Hello, My Darling!

I did have a little problem with magazines piling up a while back.  I was taking Natural Health, Allure, InStyle and maybe one other.  Could have been Vegetarian Times or Real Simple. Just like you said, if you get behind on reading and tossing them every month, they accumulate and become a huge source of stress.  You don’t want to throw them away if you haven’t even looked at them yet… that’s wasting money!  So they go into a stack that gets bigger, and bigger and bigger until it’s the size of a middle school child.

So, when I moved from the condo in Arlington a couple of years ago, I had 3 weeks notice to move out and there was zero time for packing.  I had to get ruthless, and I did.  I took that Eiffel Tower of magazines to the dumpster and didn’t look back.  Now, I’m taking Bon Appetit (not loving it like I used to so this one won’t get renewed), Domino ( ditto), and More (loving it).  Since I just moved again and have been super busy the last few months, I must admit I have a little pile of magazines on my end table.  But I refuse to allow my past sins to be repeated, and I promise that this weekend I WILL go through them.  By Monday the little pile will be no more.  Since I’m still recuperating from the Nasty Virus, this will be a great productive project for me!

So by the time my new Food Network Magazine gets here, I won’t feel guilty.  Woo hoo!  And anyway, it’s the end of October.  It’s time to start buying all the holiday baking magazines!  😉

~BigSis

October 24, 2008

Ding Dang Darnit!! I can’t believe I just did that! I CANNOT believe that I just subscribed to another magazine! I was on Food Network researching something and just saw this premier issue of Food Network Magazine advertised. Ten issues for only $15.00! How could I resist? BigSis, check it out. You might want to enter one of your recipes into their contest. Winner takes a prize of $500.00.

Food Network Magazine

Here’s one of the recipes from this month’s premier issue.  This Broccoli Chowder with Cheddar Toasts looks so yummy! Now that it’s cooling off here a little bit in the evenings, I’m getting in the mood to make some soup. I’ll probably have to triple this recipe to feed the “hungry men” in my house.

Broccoli Chowder with Cheddar Toasts

A couple of years ago, I intentionally stopped subscribing to several magazines that I had subscribed to for years.  I stopped InStyle, Food & Wine, Fit, Domino, Self, and a couple others that I can’t even remember.  There’s not enough time to read that many magazines and it would actually stress me out if the unread magazines started to stack up.

I had my current magazine subscriptions down to my absolute favorites, whole living body+soul,  FitYoga, Heart Healthy and Sculptural Pursuit. A couple of months ago, I received an offer to subscribe to Food & Wine for only $2.00 for the year, so I’ve added that one back to my monthly subscriptions. Heart Healthy and Sculptural Pursuit only come out every quarter, so I don’t really receive all five magazines every month.

BigSis, you’ve got some stories to tell about magazines stacking up, right?  Literally, stacking up! Wanna share?

Inquiring minds want to know. Just how many magazines are too many? Six sounds like a lot to me, but maybe it’s really not.  I’d love to hear from everyone on this topic. What are your favorite magazines?  How many subscriptions do you have?

~LilSis

October 23, 2008

I’m terrible at being sick.  I’ve thankfully been blessed with a healthy life so far, so illness has been an oddity for me.  I hate to be sick, to talk about being sick, or to really even acknowledge that I’m sick.  And once the illness has passed, I try to charge back into my normal life as though nothing ever interrupted it.

When this Nasty Virus attacked my body the beginning of this month, however, there was no denying that I was sick.  They don’t put well people into the hospital for 4 days, do they?  Finally, after 3 full weeks, I can see recovery in the future although I can’t quite get there yet.

So this bug hit with a vengeance, caused a lot of trouble, took it’s time in leaving the building, and demanded my attention.  And this time, I can’t get back to my normal life at the speed of light.  So, as I’m recuperating, I’m thinking and I’m looking closely at this whole experience.

As a Christian, I know that God has a plan for my life and that He allowed this to happen for a reason.  I don’t believe in coincidences and I don’t believe in luck.  God either causes something to happen or He allows it.  Otherwise He isn’t God, right?  So I ask myself, what should I be learning from this?  What is the take-away?  I know there is good to glean from it because Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.  In Nasty Virus Part 2, I’ll look at some of the things I’ve learned and am still learning from this experience.

~BigSis

October 22, 2008

I just love Anne Taintor products!  I think the first time I heard about Anne Taintor products was from a post a saw on A Girl Must Shop a couple of years ago. A couple of days ago, I was looking at Hostess with the Mostess and noticed that she was talking about Anne Taintor flasks. I have the cocktail napkins that match this flask.

Aren’t they cute? Not that I ever have the need for a flask, but those would make for some pretty funny gifts.  

I just LOVE her entire line of Modern Office revisited office supplies. I actually have this set of Fancy File Folders, “File it under Paradise.”

Of course, I couldn’t stop there. I had to have some of these special sticky notes! These are the ones I have:

• “just file it under who cares?“ (pretty obvious;  I use these when I really don’t care.)
• “why yes, I am overqualified” (used mainly when I leave SirHoney a “work related” note)
• “she was comforted by the knowledge that they were helpless without her.” (I love leaving HayHay or BigT a note with these.) Not that they even notice!

Those must be selling like crazy because I checked all three of those sticky notes and they are all presently out of stock.

Since BigSis and I both have an odd obsession with office supplies; for her birthday a couple of years ago, I sent her the same file folders that I have and some different sticky notes and notepads. If a girl has to work, at least she should be surrounded by cute, and “sarcastic” office supplies. That’s just my opinion.

~LilSis

October 21, 2008

What the “L” is BigSis up to?

• Lunching on the new Barilla Piccolini; cute little baby bow ties that are a tasty fun way to stay on this darn bland diet.
• Leafing through the new Allure October issue with their editors’ Best of Beauty Products feature.
• Lecturing coworkers about the importance of passing Proposition 2 in California.
• Limiting my desire to hoard every last package of Mother’s Coconut Cocadas cookies since the company folded after 92 years in business.  Sniff!  You may still be able to find some Cocadas and pink sprinkly Circus Animals cookies on store shelves, but don’t dawdle!
• Lazing around watching my favorite Food Network show “Barefoot Contessa“.  This lady really cooks, and her cookbooks are fabulous!
• Loving the Green Chili and Garlic Goat cheese from La Cuesta Farm in Texas.  I bought it over the summer from the Farmer’s Market, now I have to go to Central Market for it.

~BigSis

October 20, 2008

I can’t believe it’s October already, much less 2/3 of the way through the month!  Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here, then Christmas, then 2009!  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let’s not fast-forward to November just yet.

I’m not a Halloween-celebrater myself, but lots of people are, including Martha Stewart.  As with everything else she does, Martha covers every possible aspect of this topic: food, decorating, costumes, pumpkin carving, party ideas, anything you can imagine.  If you need help with Halloween, Martha’s your woman!

Do you have a hankering to carve a lacy design on your pumpkins?  No problem.

Are you desperate for costume ideas for the family?  No worries.

Maybe you’re dying to make a centerpiece that looks like rotten eggs and worms!  Gotcha covered.

Or perhaps you’d like to make cute decoupaged treat buckets for your little ones?  Here you go.

I think these Ladies Fingers and Men’s Toes are hilarious and if I were doing Halloween, this is the kind of thing I’d make.

And these little petit four ghosts are too cute!

People love to bash on Martha, but I for one see nothing bash-worthy about the pursuit of excellence and cuteness in the things you do!  And if you have Halloweenish things to do, check out Martha!  She’s got you covered.

~BigSis

October 19, 2008

I’m so excited every time I open my mailbox to find my new issue of  whole living body+soul, I’m always pleasantly surprised to find so many articles that actually interest me. I am never disappointed! This Martha Stewart Publication is my favorite magazine right now.

I found this recipe for Shiitake Fried Rice in the October, 2008 issue of whole living body+soul and I knew right away that I wanted to try it.  This is also a vegetarian dish so I know that BigSis will enjoy it. I’ve always loved shiitakes, but never knew of their amazing health benefits. I never knew that they were packed full of antioxidants, potassium, zinc, and lentinan, that stimulates the immune system.  An excellent addition to your meal if you’re starting to feel run down or trying to stave off a cold.

So, here we go with the recipe. I have to admit that I made this recipe while my family was lurking over me so I did not get as many photos as I would have liked.  HayHay was more interested in getting the rice in his belly than in watching me take photographs. To start with, here are the ingredients.

Pretty basic ingredients

I cooked the rice first, sliced the mushrooms, and cooked the edamame. I started with the edamame in the pods just because I think they turn out better if you cook them in the pods and then shell them. The bag of edamame in pods makes exactly one cup of shelled edamame!

Perfectly cooked brown rice.

Cleaned and sliced shitakes.

Cooked and shelled edamame

It was so easy from this stage.  I missed getting a photo of the shiitakes sauteing in the oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.  I never measure exactly; (which is why I can’t bake) so I ended up adding two teaspoons of butter to the mushrooms because they seemed a little dry. I probably did not start with enough oil when starting out with the garlic and ginger. Oh, and I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

From this point, I added the rice, the edamame, the cooked and sliced egg, the lime juice and soy sauce.  I did leave out the scallions, (because I don’t like them and I’m the cook); and I was going to use chives, but I forgot to go cut some from my herb pot. I just tossed everything gently and it was done!

Finished Shitake Fried Rice

I don’t cook with a lot of ginger, but the combination of ginger, garlic, lime, and red pepper flakes in this rice turned out just amazing!

Now, for myself or for BigSis, this would be a complete meal. But, no! Not for the meat-eating men that live in our house!  Since I learned that a long time ago, I had already planned to make pork tenderloin to go along with the Shiitake Fried Rice.  They went really  well together!  All I do with my pork tenderloin is cover it in a paste of olive oil, garlic, and a lot of fresh ground pepper. I grill on high for five minutes on each side, then turn to medium and another five minutes on each side. Cover and let rest. Turns out perfect every time!

Grilled pork tenderloin

Here’s the final plate, missing the side salad and some fresh Kalamata Olive Bread from Trader Joe’s. Did you think we could have a meal without bread? Silly!

Shitake Fried Rice and Grilled Pork Tenderloin

I was really happy with the way this Sunday Supper turned out.  I hope you give it a try!

~LilSis

October 18, 2008

Anyone have a late night? Feeling dehydrated? Need an instant boost? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, then try my favorite “super-quick fix” for tired skin,  Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask.

Miracle Mask!

This product was engineered to mimic the same effects as Bliss Spa’s famous “Triple Oxygen Treatment” facial, (but in seconds). I know, at $52.00 a bottle, it’s not cheap. It literally takes only a few pumps to cover your entire face; so this bottle lasts for a long time! (Depending on how often you use it, of course.)  I like to use it the morning after a late night or before I go out on a special evening. I really can tell that it plumps up the skin and somehow manages to hydrate within minutes.

I’ve never tried the Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Eye Masks, but this description makes me want to rush out and buy them!

NEW! Like an energy drink for your eyes, this instant brightening treatment is ‘eye-deal’ for those who want to fake a full 8 hours of sleep. With 3 forms of glow-inducing oxygenation, antioxidant vitamin C and puff-pummeling cucumber extract, it’ll leave eyes looking lively in 15 minutes flat. Box of 4 unique twin-chamber packets (1-month supply).

Bliss Triple Oxygen Energizing Eye Masks

Well, yeah, I’d like to fake a full 8 hours sleep! I can’t even remember when I have slept 8 hours.  And, I definitely would like for my eyes to look a little more lively. I need to put these on my “wish list” of products I want to try. Considering that I am on a “never ending” quest to find a product to help alleviate puffy, tired eyes; these might have to go to the top of that list.

If anyone has tried these, please leave me a comment and let me know if they really do work!

~LilSis

October 17, 2008

We introduced the furkids this week, and anyone who knows me and LilSis knows that we’re big animal lovers. We always had animals growing up, and we’ve both always had animals as adults. LilSis always had dogs til TomTom sauntered into her house, and I’ve always had cats. Somehow, if there is a high-maintenance health-impaired cat to be cared for, it manages to find its way into my family. So out of necessity I have become an expert on the challenges of cleaning up feline bodily fluids (and not-so-fluids), including, but not limited to, urine, vomit, hairballs, and poop. Sorry to be graphic, but if you’re a cat lover, at some time or other you will need the straight scoop (so to speak) on dealing with these problems. However, you may want to check on what your feline creatures eat if they vomit too much because that’s not a good sign of a healthy cat. A good way to ensure that your cat eats healthy is by feeding him nutritional supplements such as the ultimate pet nutrition.

The worst problem of all in my experience is a cat who urinates outside of the litter box. It goes without saying that the first thing you need to do is get the cat to the vet to determine if there is a health issue responsible for the problem. Then you can move on to the stain and odor issue that has you googling how to clean a rug. It can be difficult because not all rugs are made from the same materials and most of them have individual care instructions attached which means there isn’t one solution that can fix-all. We understand that it can be a daunting task and you may find it easier to look for someone that does Rug Cleaning Toorak based, or whatever area you are in. I tried virtually everything over the last couple of years with Warren Bitey. He literally soaked the carpet in my last apartment, but when I moved out I got my full deposit back because there was no trace of urine left in that carpet. I kid you not. Here’s the only solution – don’t mess around with anything else, you’ll just waste your money and the peeing will continue because the odor is still there. The only product to buy is called UrineOff. You can buy it from some vets, but I found their prices to be about double the direct online price, plus they only carried the 16 ounce spray bottle and my problem was bigger than that!This stuff is not cheap – about $40 plus shipping for a gallon, but it WORKS and is worth every penny. You saturate the carpet and let the enzymatic solution work its magic. I found it works best if you let it slowly dry without a fan blowing on it. If you have a badly soiled area, it may need a couple of treatments, but don’t give up.

Hopefully, you don’t have the mega-problem of cat urine. But chances are you do have the random hairball barf, a full-blown vomit spot, a dirty hiney spot on your carpet (gross), or even a poop accident. What do you do for those stains? You won’t believe it when I tell you because I didn’t believe the professional carpet cleaner when he told me. You get a wide-mouth jar with a screw-on lid, and you fill it with the Magic Solution of 1 part white vinegar to 10 parts club soda. That’s it. To use it, get a supply of unprinted white paper towels. If there is any solid matter on the stain, remove it first. This is nasty to say, but if a hairball has dried on your carpet while you were away, you can usually just peel it off the carpet and proceed. Take a paper towel and saturate it with the Magic Solution. Dab it generously onto the stain until it’s pretty wet. Then you want to gently massage the solution into the carpet, but don’t rub. Change to a clean wet paper towel as you need to, and then switch to dry paper towels as you see the stain lifting. With the dry paper towels, dab dab dab, turning to a fresh spot of towel. Keep dabbing until the carpet is as dry as you can get it. If the stain was really heinous, it may be best to do the cleaning in 2 sessions. You don’t want to push the soil down into the pad. Let the spot dry after one session, and then come back the next day for a second try. I’ve never had a stain resist the second treatment, and I lived with 3 cats on off-white carpet for 10 years!

If the trick doesn’t work, I’m afraid you would have to call in an expert Carpet Cleaning Joplin, MO (if you’re from Joplin City, Missouri) like the ones at Sharp Chem-Dry and others to get your carpet spanking clean! It might be a bit of a pocket pinch than your regular home remedies, but it will leave your carpet looking brand new.

Nevertheless, I really hope these two miracle workers will make your life with cats a little bit easier, as they have mine! Give them a try and share your results with me!

~BigSis

October 16, 2008

So, here’s our sweet, Senior Citizen, SarahGirl. Her mother was a Great Dane and her father was a yellow Lab. She really looks more like her mother, but she loves the water, just like a Labrador.

She really is sweet and innocent!

SarahGirl  just turned twelve years old this month. She has far exceeded her life expectancy and has a few issues, but she is overall still doing pretty well.

We got SarahGirl in February, 1997. We had just moved back to Texas after spending three years in upstate New York.  We had a huge yard and SirHoney was really wanting a dog.  We found SarahGirl through an ad in the classifieds.  The owner of the mother had kept all TEN puppies in her house until she found each and every one a good home. She still had around six four month old puppies when we went to see them.  We actually took two of them. We took SarahGirl and her sister, Molly, home with us.  Molly was the runt of the litter and SirHoney really felt like we should take her.  Within two or three months, we had to have Molly put down because she had hip displasia so bad that she was already on pain pills at six months old.  The vet couldn’t guarantee that surgery would help her.  Luckily, SarahGirl has never had an issue with that.

SarahGirl relaxing by the pool.

Even though she gets us up at 4:30 every morning, she’s still a sweet, loving, member of our family.

~LilSis