I've done it.

I've done what we've all stereotypically try not to do.  I've turned into one of my parents.  I've turned into my Dad.

I looked at poison ivy and I have random outbreaks all over my body.

I never thought I'd say it, I'm just like my father.  And I can't wait for my next dose of steroids.

Cookie Dough Monster

When ever I make chocolate chip cookies I eat a lot of the dough and I think of two stories about my little sister and her early adventures in cookie baking.

One of her first times reading a recipe on her own she misinterpreted a little something.  Contrary to her belief, 2 1/4 cups of flour meant 2 cups plus 1/4 of a cup of flour.  She scooped the 1/4 cup into the flour twice to add to her dough.  When in the oven, everything seemed to melt and the dough just souped all over the baking sheet.  We helped her retrace her steps to find the issue.

The other time was when she turned off the oven and she decided to let the cookies “rest” a bit.  Then when she felt the cookies were done with their nap, they were burnt to a crisp.

Someone has been after me for a while to bake him some cookies for quite some time.  I stopped procrastinating and did so. 

I’d give out the recipe but I think I’d be crossing some copyright boundaries or whateves.  I use the recipe on the back of the semi-sweet chocolate chips and veganize it.  The chips I’ve always used are vegan to begin with, bonus!  Instead of butter, I use earth balance.  Instead of 2 eggs, I use 2 flax eggs.  I didn’t use as much flax meal this time as I think it tends to make the cookie a tad greasier.  You’d never know they pack extra fiber and omega-3s!

Namesake.

Cielo. Capri, Italy. March 2007.

From trash to treasure?

So I’ve been trying out new hobbies.

We have a lot of old furniture and fixtures.  This bench I think was found at a yard sale. 
It was unevenly painted and much build up in the crevices.  Gross.  And yes that is painted wicker you see. 
Even more dirt/gross in between.
So we decided to redo it.
With paint.
And fabric.
The process went like this: clean, sand, clean, cough a lot, buy an old curtain, buy some spray paint, prime, paint, regret paint choice, buy cushion, flip wicker seats over, upholster or whatever you call it with cushion and fabric, realize the seats don’t fit, sand the hell out of the corners of the seats, one still doesn’t fit, sand it more, set it in, still wonder if the paint choice is right, ah the hell with it, put it in unmatching room with messy floor of old paint.


TADA!
So you don’t have to scroll up, before and after…

Another plan vs. actual.

So this was two weeks ago the plan  and I think I remember the actual.
Sunday - Gym, step mill and whatever else - I don't think this happened
Monday- Rest - Stepmill and arc trainer at the gym.  Something else too that I don't remember.
Tuesday - Walk or a class - I may have walked.
Wednesday - Walk or a class - 2 mile walk at Bare Cove Park in Hingham plus around downtown.  I couldn't relax so I took a low key yoga class. 
Thursday - Rest - Working the night shift and could not sleep during the day!  I took a piloxing class to hopefully knock myself out but not so much. 
Friday - Circuit - No circuit.  So tired from work and not sleeping.  I got up and packed before working the night.  I clocked 6.5 miles on the pedometer during my shift. 
Saturday - Something outdoorsy and wonderful - Swimming!  We had races and made fun games to make our own elderly water aerobics session. 

Last week was some what pathetic besides the hike, more swimming, and a walk here and there.  Must get back on track this week!

Sunday - gym with cardio and lower body workout
Monday - gym with cardio and core
Tuesday - Zumba and an upper body workout
Wed & Thurs - rest realistically but will try to throw in a quick at home circuit
Friday - Wildcard
Saturday - I hope it is nice cause I'd like to break out the bike.

In addition to the fitness plan, I'm trying to meal plan a bit more.  Conveinence foods and quick but healthy takeout have become the norm around here.  Too much money going to waste.  I'm in such a cooking funk.  It has been a while since I've done a food post.  That Vet I know recently interviewed (part 1, part 2) Lindsay Nixon, the Happy Herbivore.  How have I not used one of her recipes yet?

Relax….

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to have my schedule and the time share schedule coordinate.  We haven’t been able to get up to the White Mountains  in almost two years.  I am completely content not going up during the winter, despite the beautiful scenery, but turning down a spring, summer, or fall trip is hard to do. 

Although it wasn’t super warm out, the sun was shining so we were able to go hiking.  The last time we went, we hiked up a mountain.  We didn’t think we’d ever reach the top.  Since there was snow still atop some of the mountains and we weren't interested in a never ending journey, we decided to do a hike without much elevation. 
The Pemigewasset River trails we chose were part of an old rail system.  Some remnants of the old tracks still exist.  This area was formerly a huge logging area.  Now, it is a national forest so no Paul Bunyan action out here. 
Typically, the rivers around these parts are full of these smooth stones/rocks/boulders.

But apparently last year’s visit from Irene did a number on some of the trees.  There were places with piles of old trees and their root systems.

The trail itself was safe.  Some areas were closed off but we were still able to get about 6 miles in round trip.  There were plenty of waterfall sites to see too.



As for wildlife, we hardly saw anything!  We heard birds, but couldn’t find them.  Finally at the end of the hike we saw this little guy.  He posed for us for a while too.

Other than the hike we just swam, hot tubbed, and relaxed.  During the off season the pool area is so quiet for a change.  Finally, we were able to play Marco Polo and have races and see who could balance on the kickboard the longest. 

On a food note, we were able to have two nice vegetarian meals… veggie burgers at Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery and veggie sushi for me and a stir fry for him at Chang Thai.  So nice to go places where the menu is clearly marked and the servers are familiar with the lingo.  I don’t mind if servers aren’t familiar, I just feel like a huge pain going through the million questions. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to be on permanent vacation?????????????????