New Year's Eve

Starting next week, dozens of people will join fitness centers with the best of intentions. By early February many of the same folks will have cut back to once a week. By March they are merely paying their monthly fee and feeling guilty about not going to exercise.

Fitness centers should have New Year's Eve parties! At the stroke of midnight people will jump in the pool , start running around the track or begin whacking the racquetball around the court.

This way on New Year's Eve day instead of being tired from too much beverage consumption they will be tired from exercise.

Brave talk from a woman who is asleep by 9 p.m. most of the time, eh?

May 2010 find you love to share, health to spare
and lots and lots of friends that care.

Sushi

Saturday evening we had a last minute get-together with friends. When they asked what they could bring I said "whatever leftovers you have from Christmas" Since Lola and her family are celebrating this coming weekend they didn't have leftovers so she brought

Yes, on purpose. Now we aren't necessarily adventurous when it comes to trying new food at the Snyder household but lo' and behold...Mr. Snyder ate a piece of sushi as did a few other friends.


2009 was the year I decided to do something new and exciting each month. One month I toured the cave at Quarry Hill and petted a snake, one time I tap danced in front of 500 people. However, in 2009 I never had the urge to eat sushi.


My Mom was a tiny little woman who enjoyed unusual food combinations. A favorite was peanut butter between sugar cookies and a bacon, green olive and peanut butter sandwich on toast. On occasion she would also eat liverwurst on wonder bread with onion and mayo. So I guess I shouldn't shudder when faced with the prospect of eating sushi.

Who knows what new and exciting culinary adventures await in 2010?

Post Christmas thoughts

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the kinds and princes are gone,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoners,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers and sisters,
To make music in the heart.

I've had this for years and don't know who wrote it. Hope you had a lovely holiday!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Letters

Just once, wouldn't you like to receive a genuine Christmas letter? We all get the "we went to Aruba just for the weekend, Harvey graduated from college at 13 years old and Molly won American Idol"

How about -- Harold is on probation at his job and we hope he keeps it until we have enough $$ to buy a new tire for the pick-up or Althea our 8 year old darling smokes 3 packs a day and we are proud of her cutting back so much...

I would love a letter that talks about feelings, the blessings someone experienced through the year or just one filled with funny stories. If I start working on one NOW I can send it out next December!

Christmas memories

A gazillion years ago when I was young and THIN I wore short skirts. Hey, it was the late 60's and all the rage!

Every winter my Mom would tell me "Vicki Lou, cover your knees or when you are old you will have arthritis" ha ha ha. Yes, boys and girls -- Mother knew best. Is this why so many seniors always cover their knees with an afghan, quilt or their sleeping?

During the Christmas season many people
reminisce about past holiday gatherings.

Who can forget Uncle Ervin dressed a knocking over the Christmas tree?

Or drinking Mogan David wine after midnight mass along spam and eggs fried to a crisp in Crisco?

My favorite could be the year my younger brother brought home a woman 20 years older as a surprise. They were married AND she sported a colorful jewel in her navel.

However, despite the often unique celebration and guests there was always the fact that you knew you were loved and part of the family.

Love and Joy to you this holiday week!

Virtual Adventure

Audrey gets a new "do" at Nova


Kirk teaches Audrey how to use the equipment


Lifeguard Ben and his new friend Audrey

This past week I had "flat Audrey" for a few days. Flat Audrey is a life size drawing of a student in the Twin Cities. The real Audrey is a smart, sweet grandchild of a friend. The students send a virtual hand-drawn picture of themselves to a family or friend and they go on "virtual adventures"


Flat Audrey helped out Ben the lifeguard at the Y, learned how to properly use an exercise bike under the watchful eye of Kirk the Y trainer, danced with my friend Bob, got her hair styled at Nova cosmetology school and had her pictures taken with the Majors of the Salvation Army. Hopefully she will get to the fire station this week and play bingo at the Elk's!

It's a sad state of affairs when flat Audrey has more of a life than I do....

Updates

Yippee! The dinner guests were fun, brought tasty food, didn't cheat at , helped clear the table and left at a reasonable time.


In answer to some blog readers questions: Yes, I still see Kick my Kiester (Keister) Kirk and no, I am not wasting away. I've got the exercise part down but still need to convince my brain to step away from the Twinkies.

Last week I met with Kirk and thought the weights were harder than usual. Yes, they were. Kirk had me pulling 45 lb. weights. Although I whined as per usual I can see the difference in my flabby upper arms.

Did I turn incredibly dull and boring or get too busy to post as often as usual?

Will I ever post pictures of the kitchen band concert? yes, this afternoon with the help of my adorable computer guru husband.

Please check back later today.

Dinner

'Tis the season to entertain more often. Tonight we have Turtle and her husband joining us for dinner along with two "regulars"

Sure hope they enjoy the homemade meatballs -- what if they are fussy eaters?
Is it rude to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a back-up?
Will they go home at a reasonable hour?
Will they get the hint to leave if I put on my pajama's?

Stay tuned...

Fashion Forward

Who cares about cold weather when you have a
fashionable sock monkey hat and matching mittens?

MUSIC

Mark your calendars for a unique Christmas concert!

The "Kitchenettes" will perform their annual free concert on Thursday, December 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the Salvation Army chapel downtown.

Members of the enthusiastic Salvation Army Caring Partners group will play kitchen instruments to such popular tunes as "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer" and "Santa Claus is coming to Town"

If you have been acting like Ebeneezer or the Grinch now is your chance to find the Christmas spirit.

potluck

Today I am invited to a holiday potluck. It is work-related so I will attend. Will I eat much of the food? Probably not. Yes, me turning down food.

It's a bit like eating food from the fair but it wasn't deep fat fried to get rid of the germs...ask yourself the following questions:

Do these people have clean kitchens?
Do they have cats that walk on the kitchen counters?
What secret ingredient is in the hotdish?
Why don't they post the recipe and place it near the mystery dish?

The last time I went to a holiday potluck was Sunday evening. There were 6 cheese platters and assorted potluck standards like cocktail weeneees (yes, I know it's spelled wrong) meatballs, some curry egg roll thing and my contribution - attractive holiday plates.

I had some chips, roll-ups from Sam's Club (sorry GmG, that's what they said after I put them on my plate) and a brownie (sorry Kirk) baked by someone I knew.

Today both my husband and I are bringing food to holiday potlucks at our respective offices. Our contribution this time? Homemade chex mix. There is no cat hair, no mystery ingredients, my kitchen is clean and if you want the recipe look on the back of the rice cereal box

Happy Holiday Eating!

Blizzard

Hope everyone is staying safe and snug during the BLIZZARD!

I recall the years I lived in an apartment and didn't have a garage. Every year during the first major snow event I recall the freezing, scraping and hoping the car would start saga that began every day and am grateful for the blessings of a garage.

One year the car doors froze shut so I had to climb in the through the hatch back and kick the drivers door open (no small feat for a chubby chick). Then of course it wouldn't latch so I tied my winter scarf through the inside door handle and around my wrist. Talk about safe driving....

Is it any wonder people refused to drive with me?

Far more interesting posts resume next week!

Good friends will...

Tell you the truth about your awful hair cut which is shorter than your husband's.

Tell you tactfully that your upcoming talk "just isn't you" or ask gently "does that feel right to you?

Thanks to Lola and Bev for steering me in the right direction!

Betting

Except for recent BINGO games I am not a gambler.

However I did make a bet with a friend last week and I WON!!

Whoo-Hoo. What did I win? A cup of coffee. Is it a big deal? Yes, of course because I won, I won, I won. ha ha ha. The bet was regarding how many concerned citizens would show up for a meeting regarding public safety.

So besides discovering Christmas Blessings around every corner this season try making a harmless bet for the sheer joy of shouting:

I won, I won, I won!

Tis the season to...

Tis' the season to decorate!

As much as I enjoyed the amazing trees at the Festival of Trees last week I have to admit that we don't put up a big tree.

We have a Christmas Stick.

No, not a $9.99 Charlie Brown stick but a small green wooden Christmas tree carved out of wood. It has lights, fits anywhere and mostly it drives Lola crazy.

A few years ago Lola and her husband went out and found a lovely flocked tree for us (they charged us $98.00) but oh well...it was pretty. Then the branches started drooping then the flocking fell off and and I think 8 years later we finally vacuumed up the rest of the needles.

The rest of the house is tastefully decorated (yes, even the bathrooms) so I say to each his own!

Gifts still fit under the Christmas Stick and we still get the same warm glow looking at the stick when it is lit in the evening. We even sing a special song "Oh, Christmas Stick, Oh Christmas Stick, you know that Lola hates you" then we make up new verses when Lola visits.

hahaha, we do enjoy the holiday season!