Come Play In May - Inside My Purse

It's hard to believe that it's just about the end of the month. I've blogged just about every day of May. Pretty much a record, for me. So, today's prompt is what's in my purse. Apparently, I am a hoarder of eye drops.

The contents: one wallet, one checkbook, 31 Gifts wristlet with a lanyard from Home Depot so I can wear it around my neck, garage door opener, glasses case with cleaning cloth, keys, nail clippers, lip gloss, one tube of lip balm, one EOS lip sphere, loose change, pocket knife with black canvas cover (pink camo. My husband *gets* me), two lottery tickets, my shopper card to Quilt Country, a packet of Taco Bell fire sauce, receipts, Bear's new rabies tag still in envelope, one cortaid dabber, hand cream, a bottle of Zyrtec, two pens, a Larabar, mini flashlight from Walgreens that I got at the last 5k I did, a puffy mint and an empty puffy mint wrapper, and last but not least, FIVE bottles of eye drops.

Come Play In May - A Day/Week/Month In Pictures

Come Play In May - Book Report

It's no surprise to anyone that I read. A lot. I have books in my sewing room/library. I have books in the living room. I have books on bookshelves in my office. I have books on the window sill next to my night table. Lots and lots of books. It's heredity. What I don't have, is sophisticated taste in books. I read sci-fi/fantasy books, I read YA supernatural books, I read gardening and homesteading books, I read the kind of trash you can download for free on your kindle, and one of my favorite genres, I read romance novels.

I was a latecomer to the world of regency romances. Sure, I knew friends that read them, but they didn't appeal to me. And then I read my first Barbara Cartland book. The next thing I knew, I was prowling through the paperback book exchange in Guilford, looking for inexpensive copies of her books. And let me tell you, she wrote plenty of books for me to prowl for. Then I moved on to the harder stuff: Kathleen Woodiwiss, Jude Devereaux, Johanna Lindsey, Shirley Busbee. I was hooked. And this was all before anyone actually knew Fabio had a name.  But, alas, I had to move on again. That's the sad part about reading everything someone's written. You have to find new things to read. Eventually, I stumbled upon Stephanie Laurens. The book above is the latest of hers that I've read. While I did enjoy it, I didn't enjoy it as much as her earlier books. If you are a fan of Regency romances, I highly recommend the Cynster novels.

In Devil's Bride, the first of the Cynster novels, we meet Honoria Anstruther-Wetherby, a finishing governess of aristocratic birth who wants to live a life of adventure, and Sylvester "Devil" Cynster, the Duke of St. Ives. Honoria, in an attempt to help a dying young man, finds herself trapped in a compromising position with the young man's dark and mysterious cousin, the Duke. Forced by a terrible storm to spend the night in a woodcutter's cottage, Devil decides that he wants to make the headstrong young woman his Duchess. Together, they embark on an adventure of solving Devil's young cousin's murder, all the while the Duke attempts to ensnare his Duchess.

Come Play In May - Feel A Thing

The Aussie and I playing with BearPup aka Wookie Boy. I feel fur, and love, and puppy sneezes.

Come Play In May - Tell Me A Story

"Oh, come off it," She said. "You didn't seriously think I was going leave it alone, did you?"

The kitchen was silent except for the rhythmic sound of her chopping vegetables. One of the dogs hovered nearby, hoping for something to fall on the floor.

"I mean, when, have you ever known me to leave well enough alone? It's against my nature not to mess with things. I'm not saying that you weren't good, but you just weren't right for me, so I had to do something."

She continued to chop the vegetables, pausing only to scoop them in to the bowl. They looked pretty, she thought, jumbled together, with bits of the red pepper peeking through the various shades of green.

"I hope you aren't offended. I didn't mean to insult you."

She opened the jar of mayonnaise and spooned it in to the vegetables. Tasting it, she decided that it needed something else, something to brighten it up. Turning around, she reached into the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of rice wine vinegar. Spying the Togarashi spice and wasabi powder she pulled them out, too. She splashed a liberal amount of the rice wine vinegar to the mixture and a spoonful of each the Togarashi and wasabi, and stirred.

"Can you at least try to see where I'm coming from just this once?"

That works, she thought, and spooned some in to a bowl. She garnished it with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts, and stuck a fork in it.

"Well, if you aren't going to say anything, then that's it. I'm done explaining myself to you."

She picked up the bowl and walked towards her office, raising the fork to her mouth as she went.

Crunchy Pea Salad (adapted from Shrinking Kitchen's recipe)

1 bag of frozen green peas

1 can of sliced water chestnuts, chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 ribs of celery, diced 

1 small bag of snow peas, thinly sliced

1/2 cup light mayonnaise 

2 T rice wine vinegar

1 t Togarashi spice

1 t wasabi powder (or to taste)

1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Mix the vegetables together with the spices, mayo and vinegar. Chill for at least a couple of hours. Serve with chopped peanuts on top.

Come Play In May - Wordless Wednesday - My Effing Uterus (and Hormones aka this is kinda what a hot flash looks like)

My Favorite Summer Salad

Mmmmm. Crunch, crunch, crunch. You'll have to excuse me, I'm crunching away on this salad as I am typing. I have been making an effort to include more vegetable dishes in my meal plans. At the risk of making the baked eggs in swiss chard for the third time in a week, I decided to switch things up and make my cauliflower and broccoli salad. It's a salad that eats like a meal, and I can eat bowlfuls of this salad. The addition of the cauliflower gives it a wonderful crunch.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Summer Salad

1 head of broccoli
1 head cauliflower
1 c coleslaw dressing
1/4 red onion, diced
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 T apple cider vinegar or herb vinegar
1 T lemon or lime juice (or sprinkle in about 1 t of True Lemon)
1/2 c bacon bits
1/2 c Craisins
1/2 c toasted pumpkin seeds

Trim and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Wash and drain the broccoli and cauliflower and place in a large bowl. Mix in the coleslaw dressing, making sure to coat the vegetables well. Cover and chill for at least two hours so that the flavors mix.

Stir the broccoli and cauliflower mixture. Add in the diced red onion, vinegar, lemon juice, shredded cheese, chopped eggs, bacon bits, Craisins, and pumpkin seeds. Mix well and enjoy!

Come Play In May - Write A Letter To Your Past Self

May 20, 1995

Dear Kyra,

I'm writing this letter to you on this very special day. I know you're rushing around, trying to get ready, so I'll be quick.

Have fun today. You look beautiful and happy. Don't be nervous. You two have many, many years together ahead of you. It won't always be easy, and yes, you'll do some stupid things, but you'll get through everything together. Always remember to kiss each other goodbye in the morning. Hug often, and say "I love you" frequently. You know it, but it's always nice to hear it said. Laugh together often. You are about to embark on a grand adventure with your best friend.

Love,

Kyra

P.S. He was right, chocolate cake was an excellent choice for the wedding cake. 

 

Come Play In May - (Ir)rational Hatred of Something

Nothing irrational about what I hate:

people who abuse animals

eggplant (except in Mechie's crab casserole)

redback, funnel web and brown recluse spiders


GU gels

missing the turn arrow because the first driver off the rank took 5 seconds to start moving


stepping on prickers or sweet gum seed pods

people who park their vehicle so that it takes up two spaces

that line of dirt that you can never get in to the dust pan when you're sweeping the floor

people who don't put their shopping carts back when they're literally steps from the cart return

Come Play In May - Fashion I Wish Was Still In Style

Ooh, this was a fun one. I remember some of the fun dresses that my mom wore when she and my father went to dinner dances in the late 60s and early 70s. So cool. She actually sent me a couple of them last year when she was going through her closets. Not a chance in hell that I can fit in them, but they're still very cool. When you get right down to it, I wish I was a combination of Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, Mary Quant and Audrey Hepburn. Cool and mod looking. With great legs and great hair.

 

Come Play In May - Raw

Hi, my name is Kirsten. I'm a painfully shy introvert. Once I get to know you, and feel comfortable around you, I'm not shy at all. I can actually be quite entertaining to be around. But getting to know you, that's a whole 'nother story. Even transitioning from knowing someone online to meeting them in person is panic attack inducing. Yeah... I've stepped out of my comfort zone a few times, in an attempt to meet up with new people, do something new, only to be reminded why I stay in my comfort zone.  A couple of years ago, I posted the following:

A recent FB post

Feeling very out of sorts, I posted the following on FB on Saturday morning:

You probably don't know how painfully shy the person who showed up at your club's group run is. Or how far out of her comfort zone she was. Last year, when she showed up for a run, people were welcoming, so she thought she'd be okay. A couple of you said good morning as you walked past her, but after 10 minutes of standing there, nervously clutching her water bottle, feeling anxious and out of place, with no one talking to her, she left. But you probably didn't notice that.

The supportive comments this post received meant a lot to me. You see, not everyone knows how shy I am. It took a lot for me to even drive to this group run. When I got there, it took a lot for me to get out of the car. I seriously considered turning around in the parking lot and just driving home. But I didn't. I metaphorically put on my big girl panties and got out of the car. I slowly walked to the club house, and nervously said good morning to the people who were already there. A couple of people acknowledged me, but most didn't. The few women that were there just continued on in their conversation as if I was invisible. And that's what I felt like. Invisible. I toughed it out for several more minutes, feeling more and more like a loser the longer I stood there. Funny how the big girl panties can quickly disappear in situations like this. Finally, feeling a panic attack coming on, I walked away from the club house, back to the car. I managed to drive away (past the club house, mind you) and get down the road a bit before I started crying. 

When I got home, it was not even 7:30, so The Aussie was still in bed. I climbed in beside him, doggies hopping on the bed to snuggle with us. He asked what time it was and I said 7:30. Puzzled, his asked "aren't you going?" I told him I was back. He asked what happened. While he's a very outgoing person, he knows how difficult things like this are for me. He just held me as I cried while telling him what had happened. He told me that I at least made the effort and that was what was important.

It was important. I made the effort. But I won't be again. Oh, I'll show up for races that this group puts on a couple of times a year, but I won't be showing up for group events. Want to hear something funny? When I was half asleep not long ago I thought about why I sign up for races. This is going to sound pathetic, but part of it is the pictures of groups of friends all running together, wearing goofy costumes, having fun. It's like I'm still the nerdy little kid, always picked last for the team, looking at a group of friends from the other side of the chain link fence. I want to be a part of their popular group. But I'm not. A dear friend left this comment to my post ... When you are out there in a race it is just you and the pavement. You have everything you need inside you right now... She's right. I do have everything I need inside me. I'll be fine. Just me and the pavement.

Even reading this makes me cry. I'd rather keep to myself than to risk getting hurt more. I'm not invisible. I do have feelings, and they are very tender. I'm not a loser. Maybe you can't understand how a person can be this way, maybe you can. You may never know how fucking difficult it is for me to walk up to someone and introduce myself. If I do manage to get up the courage and introduce myself to you, please forgive me my awkwardness.

Come Play In May - The Double Entendre

I love me some Mike Rowe.

Come Play In May - How I Effed Up (A day late)

I really didn't know what to write for yesterday's prompt. I've effed up a lot of things in my life, apologized where I could, but these aren't things I want to write about. Hell, I don't even like thinking about them. I realize that some day I'll have to make an accounting for them, I just hope karma's bite in my ass won't be too painful. While I was out walking the dogs during lunch, I tried thinking about today's prompt. Nothin. Then I thought of one that I could write about for How I Effed Up.

Jeep Cherokees from the 1970s and 1980s were very sturdily built, with metal bumpers. Remember when cars actually had front and rear bumpers?  Cars these days don't have metal bumpers, they have vanity panels stuffed with air and Styrofoam. But those older cars, they could do some damage with their bumpers. Like catch the track of the garage door and pull it away from the siding. They were really good at ripping off trim, too. Heads up if you're a DIY kind of person: toothpaste is not effective at covering up nail holes.

Back To Basics - Starting With A Healthy Breakfast

Yesterday I shared my limerick about a patio swing breaking because Sparkie and I have gotten fat. Her for the first time, me for, um, not the first time. Granted, the swing has been out in the Texas elements for 8 years, so it's a bit worse for wear, but it's not entirely to blame for the incident. So this morning I dusted off some of my healthy living books in anticipation of getting back to basics. (Side note: when someone tells you it's harder to lose weight when you're in your 40s, believe them.) To start my journey back to healthy living, I made breakfast. Not any breakfast. A healthy breakfast.

Baked Swiss Chard and Kale Eggs (serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are)

4 slices bacon, cut in to bite sized pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 10 ounce bag of chopped swiss chard, big stems removed
1 container baby kale 

1/2 can diced tomatoes
1 T hot sauce
Splash of red wine (optional)
1/8 t grated nutmeg
1 cup plain yogurt
1 t black pepper
4 eggs
Sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Note: I partially cooked my bacon in the microwave because I got it out of the freezer. I transferred the bacon to the pan with just a little of the drippings.

In a large pan, cook the bacon over medium high heat until crispy. (I like really crispy) Add in the sliced onion and cook until the onion has softened. Add in the chopped swiss chard and the kale, stirring well, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the greens have wilted down. Next, stir in the diced tomatoes, hot sauce, the splash of wine if using, black pepper, nutmeg and yogurt. Mix well, so that the yogurt is blended in. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Spoon mixture in to a baking dish. Make in "indentation" in the vegetables and crack an egg in to each. Sprinkle with the cheese and back for 20-25 minutes.

Come Play In May - It's National Limerick Day!

Woo Hoo. I get to share a limerick.

I have eaten way too much crap
I would love to go take a nap
Out to run I must go
And get on with the show
'Cause the patio swing it went snap

True story. Sparkie, who has also put on a few pounds, and I were gently swinging on our old patio swing last night when The Aussie came up behind us and gave the swing a big push. That's when we heard the seat start to crack. There's nothing like the threat of falling on to the patio, amidst the remains of a wooden swing, to get you standing up quickly. It's a good thing the weigh-in for the Sisterhood's 6 month Commit To Your Fit dietbet opened today.

Come Play In May - Motherhood

Motherhood. The human version never happened for us, so motherhood and Mother's Day don't mean the same for me that they do for many of you. Motherhood for me means picking up the bits of stuffing that was pulled out of dog toys. Motherhood for me means waking up from a dead sleep and sprinting to turn the alarm off and get a dog outside at 6 in the morning when you hear a dog start to barf. Thanks for that, Sparkie. I really needed that this morning. Motherhood for me means stuffing heartworm pills down a dog's throat. Sorry manufacturers, many dogs DON'T think your product tastes good.

Motherhood for me also means bunnies. Two summers ago we rescued some baby bunnies from a flooded burrow. They were so little, they didn't even have their eyes open. Before you scold, we had to rescue them, they were swimming in 6+ inches of water at midnight, and we were having torrential downpours all night. Mama never came back. Sadly, two of the four babies didn't survive, but two did. They were so stinking cute. Stinky, too. I was sad when we released them, but happy that they were going to be fine. I still see the Hoppities in the front yard. One of them lets me get within a few feet of it, seeming to listen to me while I talk to it.

 Wee little ones. They were so tiny.

Rambunctious little hoppity. Hey, Lady, where are the sweet potato vine leaves you promised?

This is one of the last pictures of the little ones. This was their release day, and they were happy to go.

Today I had a treat. Today I saw a grandbaby hoppity in the backyard. A very appropriate day to see the little one, and I couldn't help but smile.

 

Come Play In May - Breathe, or How To Find My Zen

I have to tell you, I'm not in a Zen place this afternoon. I joked with the Axis group that I'd have to breathe after I unclenched my teeth. So, I'm going to take my mind to a more quiet place, far away from the evil corporations that make you buy your pets' prescriptions ONLY FROM THEM.

Deep in the heart of Texas, you can hear birds sing, frogs croak, and deer come up to visit you while you mow the lawn.

However, because BLOGGER doesn't want to process the video correctly in one format, I am having to upload it in WMP. Breathe, breathe, breathe...Oh, hey, it STILL won't process. You get a screen shot of the opening frame. Oh, and now it works.

Well, I can watch it to help me find my zen, but you if you aren't able to, here's a picture of the deer.

Come Play In May - Let Me Be Vague About Something

Have you ever been a member of a group or organization that needed to grow, so some other people were invited to join the group AND THEY TOOK OVER? After the coup, did you feel like quitting because their passive/aggressive BS pissed you off so much, but you thought NO, I WAS HERE FIRST, I WILL NOT LET THEM WIN?

Come Play In May - Art: Create Something Beautiful

While it's a little flippant, my bio for Pinterest reads "Reader. Runner. Gardener. Quilter. Hoarder of Cookbooks. Dog Mom. Geek." While I may dabble in a few other things, and I'm not terribly accomplished at any one of these things, this pretty much sums me up. (My husband would REALLY agree with the whole 'Hoarder of Cookbooks' title, but he hoards his own crap, so he really can't bust my chops on that one.)

So what, you may ask, does this have to do with creating something beautiful? I am a hoarder of really expensive batik fabrics, too. When they get sewn together in a pleasing manner, they become a quilt. I've really got to get back to working on this one. The right strip has been removed, ahem, "un-sewed" because I put the wrong shade of purple batik on there. Would anyone but me notice? Maybe not, but it really irked me. Now that I look at it, the bottom one needs to come off, too.

I need to work on this one because I haven't ever made a quilt for me and my husband. I've contributed a lot of blocks to church quilts, which is how I started quilting in the first place, I've made several quilts for friends, and last Christmas, I gave my sister the quilt below.

Since I have so much pretty stuff to play with, I'd best get a move on.

Warning: Rant Ahead. The food porn edition.

This isn't a "Come Play In May" post, but it certainly could have worked for Monday's prompt.

I'm going to go out on a limb and think that most of y'all have heard the term "food porn." According to Wikipedia, food porn is defined as follows: Food porn is a glamourized (their spelling, not mine) spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media,[1] foods boasting a high fat and calorie content,[2] exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex.[3] Food porn often takes the form of food photography and styling that presents food provocatively

No where, in this definition does it actually say that the person posting a picture that could be categorized as "food porn" actually ATE the food. If a friend wants to post a picture of bacon stuffed pancake on a stick, she can post a picture of bacon stuffed pancake on a stick. If you want to post pictures of the cookies you ate, or the salad you ate, go for it. I like looking at pictures of food as much as I like posting them. I wish my pictures looked nice, but that's another story.

I don't care where you and I are in our journeys, we aren't here to judge each other, and we'll get to where we're going when we're supposed to get there.

Come Play In May - That Ball I Dropped

Did you know an incomplete turns in to an F?

Come Play In May - Mondays Are For Bitching

That is so bitchin'. Totally tubular. Oh, wait. Wrong kind of bitching. Since today's Come Play In May prompt is Mondays Are For Bitching, I am going to bitch about how sore I am. "Self-Propelled." Ha. What a laugh. I mean, so what if you weigh over 350 pounds. You're Self-Propelled. Why in hell did I have to push you so much yesterday. That said, you did a great job chewing up the brush. Thank you.

Come Play In May - Day 3: Cook a Thing. Do or Do Not... there is no Try

 

Woo Hoo! Now this I know how to do. I can cook things. Not always successfully, but I can cook all of the things.

This morning I did a 5k, and I wanted something quick to eat before the race. I'm trying to cut out wheat again, so I needed to make something gluten free. The new Runner's World cookbook has some great ideas. I call them ideas, not recipes, because I rarely follow a recipe. They're jumping off points. The recipe for Sweet and Savory Corn Cakes sounded interesting. I'm more a savory girl myself, but the sweet or savory comes from the toppings. Eh. Butter is topping enough for me.

Here's our cast of characters. I added the garlic powder and the McCormick's Fiesta Citrus Seasoning. Hey, it's almost Cinco De Mayo, so why not add a little extra.

1 can creamed corn
1 c cornmeal (I almost rebelled and used white cornmeal instead of the yellow their recipe calls for)
1 egg, whisked
2 T olive oil
1/2 c flour (I used gluten free blend)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t McCormick's Seasoning
1 T garlic powder
1/2 c water

In a pan, heat up the creamed corn. When it's warm, stir in half of the corn meal. When combined, add in the whisked egg, water, and the olive oil. 

In separate bowl, mix together the remaining half cup of cornmeal, flour, and baking powder.

Stir the creamed corn mixture in to the flour mixture until combined.

Heat up a frying pan over medium high heat. Drizzle a bit of olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter on to the pan, smoothing with the back of the spoon. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown.

The batter makes about 12 corn cakes. I bet these would be tasty, if you didn't use garlic powder and fiesta citrus seasoning, that is, with maple syrup. I know for a fact that they're really good with butter. My test kitchen companions, Mitzi, Sparkie, Bear, and Tessa, all approve of this recipe.

You know I burned my fingers eating one of these bad boys, straight out of the frying pan, don't you?

Come Play In May - Day 2: Define Yourself

 

Your mission, Kyra, should you choose to accept it, is to define yourself in an uncommon way. I'd say the picture below does just that. I am a virtual running geek. These are some of my really cool race medals. There's Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Half Marathon, the Firefly 14 k and (hidden behind it) the Firefly 14 mile, my Jedi Challenge 10k (Han Solo, frozen in stuff) and my Cyberman Delete Delete Half Marathon. Coming soon will be my Sherlock 22 mile medal.

What this picture doesn't show is that I am a total mush when it comes to dogs. The Doctor Who race raised money for Boston service dogs, The Firefly race raised, and the Sherlock race is currently raising, money for Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds. If you have a heart, look in to their plight.) The Cyberman race raised money for the AMAA Youth Fund, and the Jedi Challenge race raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

So, there you have it. I am a geek. And I am awesome. At least that's what I am telling myself right now.

Want to come play with us?

Messy Meatballs

The other day, I saw a picture of some breakfast meatballs on the ever changing Book Of Face. I frequently eat leftovers for breakfast, so the idea of breakfast meatballs appealed to me. If you think about it, meatballs have the potential to be the perfect eat at your desk finger food. Since I already had breakfast, I set about to make these lunch meatballs. During my lunch hour, too. Perfect. The original recipe called for shredding and then re-shredding the sweet potato in your food processor, followed by the onion, followed by the mushrooms... Ain't nobody got time for that. I'd be starving until next week. I remembered what the demo guy at Costco said about using a Vitamix to finely chop veggies (You add a lot of water, blend them, then drain), so I tried it. It worked really well. To a point. I really should have drained the veggies longer. The mixture was really moist (I hate that word) so I added in two whisked eggs as binder. Hmm. Still to wet. What absorbs liquids. Ding ding ding. Chia seeds. So I have extra goodness in the form of chia. And they tasted really good, too. Win-win-win.

Messy Yummy Meatballs

1 sweet potato, finely grated
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cups baby spinach, blended
3 Italian sausage links (mine were mild), removed from casings
1/2 pound lean ground pork
6 slices of bacon, cooked very crisp, crumbled
2 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup of chia seeds
1 T garlic powder
1 T Worcestershire Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cook the bacon strips until they're super crisp. Crumble and set aside.

Next, shred-chop-blend the peeled sweet potato, onion, mushrooms and spinach. I blend-chopped and drained the peeled sweet potato, the onion, the mushrooms and the spinach, then combined them in a large bowl.

Next, add in the sausage and the ground pork, mixing well. Whisk the eggs and work in to the sausage and veggie mixture. Mix in the chia seeds, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and the bacon crumbles.  

Form in to 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place on a foil covered baking sheet. You may like to spray with non-stick cooking spray to make removal easier.  Bake the little yummies for 30 minutes. 

I didn't bake up the entire mixture, but I plugged the recipe in to my My Fitness Pal account so that I could track lunch. Estimating that the entire batch would make 8 servings, the per-serving nutrition comes out to 261 calories, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 390 grams of sodium, and 4 grams of fiber.


Enjoy!

Why I Write

Day 1. Axis of Ineptitude Challenge.  Hmm. Why I write. I started this blog back in 2009 to earn points in a contest put together by the Fab Fatties. I had no clue about blogging, other than reading other peoples blogs. To tell the truth, I still don't have much of a clue, which is why I have unread books on how to set up your blog. No fancy tabs, no fancy buttons. Blogger changed settings on me a year ago, and I still can't figure out how to fix it. Conferences seem to focus only on WordPress. I have a WordPress site that I've posted on maybe twice. WP scares me. I really don't have a clue how to use it. But hey, I have a book or two. Unopened. I also have a secret blog, a ranch related blog, and a fun blog some friends and I have together. 

Why. Why do I write. Sometimes it's because I need to rant. Case in point, when I was still a member of the Watchers of Weight group, I got really pissed off at how they push desserts. Come off it people. You didn't get fat from celery sticks and low fat cheese. Using low fat versions of ingredients doesn't counteract the fact that the recipes were full of sugar. And who eats a one inch square of a dessert? Not me. I'll snarf down half a pan in one sitting. Which is precisely WHY I don't make sweets very often. If I'm hungry, and in "feed me bitch from hell" mode, you'd better not be between me and a pan of brownies.

Other times I need to talk about something that happened. Sometimes, it's something that inspired me. Lately, it's more likely to be something that knocked the wind out of my sails, like realizing the amount of weight I need to lose is the equivalent to the big-ass bag of pool salt I hauled out back the other day. For the most part, I keep it superficial. I admire bloggers who can really let it all hang out. I'm not one of them. Maybe it's because I'm an astrological screw up (Sun in Gemini, Moon and Rising Sign in Scorpio), but the thoughts and feelings than swirl around in the murky depths of my mind will stay right where they are, thank you very much.

Then there are the fun reasons I write. I like to cook, take pictures of my food, bore you with recipes. I don't consider myself the healthiest eater, but I'm trying to get better. Some days, I'd say I love to cook, but having to clean up the damned mess I make in the kitchen day in and day out really dampens my affection for cooking. If anyone wants to come clean up after me, I will be happy to say I love cooking again. I like to eat and drink lots of wine, too, which is why I also need to exercise.

Yeahhh, exercise...I like it, I hate it, I need to do it... meh. Maybe I'll start writing about exercise again...or start to. God knows I need to be accountable, considering I've registered for a marathon. That sentence both excites and scares me. Yay, lets go run lots and lots of miles and run a marathon before I turn 50. Which, if you didn't know, will be in the middle of next year. When the hell did I get this old?

Bottom line, I think I write to inspire myself. Face it, very few people even read my blog, so I doubt I'm inspiring them with my pearls of wisdom. Might as well be a smart ass and entertain myself! Oh, and since it's the first of the month: Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit. :)

Hey, if you want to play along, come join the fun.

Axis of Ineptitude

This month, I'm going to try something new. One blogger I know on The Book of Face is Shelley, from Slightly Off Kilter. Something she posted the other day intrigued me: The Axis of Ineptitude. Well, I consider myself to be inept at quite a lot of things. I don't want to brag, but it's true. As it turns out, it's part of a blogging challenge for May. Hmm. I'll play.