Thursday, August 28, 2008

G is for Gossip....

Nothing like a juicy piece of gossip, eh? Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's right.

One of my favorite games when I was a little kid was telephone. Everyone sits in a circle or in a line and the first person whispers a message into the ear of the person sitting next to them. The message is then similarly passed along 'til it reaches the final participant. You can only say the message once to your neighbor. It was always a riot to hear what crazy words came out at the end.

Well, that's how I feel gossip is too! The story gets changed, twisted and tweaked a little here and there until it is completely off from the truth (or from the original rumor).

One time, in college, I ran into a guy that had been in a lower budget film. I had had a crush on him a few years before that. You can imagine my surprise on running into him, finding out it was his hometown. I told a few friends and family of my surprise run-in. I still had a bit of a crush on him so I was talking to a friend of a friend about setting us up (he knew the guy, personally). This, too, was being reported to my relatives and friends back in my home state.

Well, midterms hit about then and I got busy and also got over that teen crush of mine and therefore the set-up never took place. A few weeks later I ran into a gal from my home town, who heard from her mother, who heard from a friend, who heard from etc... that I was ENGAGED to that guy. HELLO!?!?!?! Well that gossip definitely was twisted and tweaked, at warp speed, apparently!

I find it best to not repeat anything until I have talked to person who is the subject of the gossip. (Even if the gossip nice, don't spread it unless you heard it from the horse's mouth and they want it spread). (Yeah, and how often is gossip nice?!) Yes, be a truth-seeker, friends, not a mudslinger!!

Friday, August 15, 2008

F is for FANATICS (and Fantasies)

Oh, how I love the Olympics! I am truly a fan of this mecca of sporting events. All the talk about Dara Torres and her age has really gotten me motivated. I hope that there never was nor never will be any performance-enhancing substances discovered. That would be sad. Okay, so, assuming she is clean (which is my hope!) aren't you just so excited about a 41-year-old competing in such a demanding sport as swimming? WOW!

One of my life-long dreams, since I was little, has been to compete in the Olympics. I played sports almost non-stop as a youth, and I've tried to stick with it in between pregnancies over the years. I had a few offers to play for some little colleges, but turned them all down to attend a larger school. My only regret was that I never tried out for their volleyball team.

My brother-in-law has been telling me I should shoot for 2012. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. No one has seem surprised when I mention this. So, aside from that....

I thought it would be nice to know-- assuming you are stellar-- what Summer Olympic sport would you love to be a competitor in and why? Post your comments now! I'm curious.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

E is for Election

This blog only gets updated every week or so and so I knew that alphabetically I wouldn't be at "V" by the time November came around....

So, it's up to you to do your homework and find out which candidates you support most. And be aware of the issues you will be voting for and take a stand. We live in a democracy, ain't it great? Take advantage of it!

And while you are comtemplating and in deep thought, here's a little video to help you not stress out: http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables/1191/time_for_some_campaignin

Monday, August 4, 2008

D is for Desserts

With the growing problem of obesity rates in the USA, I was really debating if I wanted to post this. Desserts are delicious. Desserts are decadent. Desserts are delectable. AND, desserts can make you fatter. So, be wise. There are countless articles about eating healthy and exercising so I don't need to preach to you; we'll save that for the results of your Google searches.

I try to be smart about eating and exercising. I do not have Obesophobia (fear of gaining weight) as in I'm not constantly obsessing about my weight. But, I try to be very in tune with my body and when it's had too much to eat or foods that are really rich, I am aware of and HATE that sluggish feeling. I limit my dessert intake to Friday nights and a small morsel on occasional Sunday evenings. Call me crazy, but I like dessert to be something special so I don't eat it every day.


I've listed below four of my favorite recipes, but before you read them I have to say a few things:

  • Desserts are fun to share. Everyone can enjoy the sweetness. If you are the recipient of an abundance of desserts, like when all the women on diets at my husband's office gave him all the Christmas treats they had received that season because they thought that since we had four children we must eat desserts all the time and I hate to waste food, the freezer is your friend! Cookies and cakes and cheesecakes freeze quite well. Frosting may come out a bit weird-looking but the treats will taste fine!!
  • I like to use unusual ingredients in my recipes some times, as you'll see in the first recipe.

  • With regards to the title of the second recipe, I have not actually found any food that I consider to be "Better than Six," but that's the title it was given so I'm keeping it.

  • I try to cook from scratch whenever possible. Convenience items are also conveniently laced with chemicals. I do use "Cool Whip" sometimes, as listed below, an exception to my rule.

  • So sorry that I didn't include pictures. I don't have the energy to make four desserts just for the sake of having pictures. Maybe if I was getting paid....

Now on to the recipes!! (Right click, save 'em to your desktop, then print whenever).


Yummy, chocolate...




I like this refreshing dessert in the summertime...


And this one in the fall...

And these make the house smell heavenly....
Bon appetit!