FLASHBACK 2737 bc

BECAUSE IT'S TOTALLY WORTH REPEATING...
"you get tea when it's raining, tea when it's snowing. tea when the weather's fine..."
rumor has it that tea is discovered by chinese emperor, shan nong. supposedly, this emperor likes to boil his drinking water...which, if you watch survivorman at all, you know this is a good idea...and, one day, while strolling thru the gardens, a few tea leaves fall in his mug. KABOOM!! tea inventor! (all of this MUST be true...i read it on the internet. here and also here. )
FLASH FORWARD today
today is a brrrrrr chilly rabbit sort of day. a day where you get hypothermia just looking out the window. it's the perfect day for snuggling in with a great read...or a horrible lifetime movie...and sipping on a nice...hot...cup of tea. and what a perfect month to do that...it just happens to be national hot tea month!

             

^i'm telling you...brrrr chilly rabbit!^

so, you don't know the first thing about hot tea? or how to enjoy it? the following is a list of the different types and their health benefits. yes. i said HEALTH benefits!

• GREEN TEA: this is made with steamed tea leaves. it contains the most ECGC, an antioxidant known as as a flavanoid. green tea's antioxidants are thought to interfere with the growth of some cancers. specifically: bladder, breast, lung, colorectal, and stomach cancers. it is, also, thought to help burn fat. BONUS!!! plus, it's delicious. 
• BLACK TEA: this is made with fermented tea leaves. it contains the most caffeine. studies show that black tea may protect lungs from the damage caused by cigarette smoke. don't ask me how...i'm not gonna do that much research. also. it's delicious.
• WHITE TEA: this is uncured and unfermented. again, it's antioxidants have been credited with preventing cancers. it is, also, thought to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. ummmm...i have never ever tried white tea, so it might suck. but i imagine it's delicious!
• OOLONG TEA: this is a semi~fermented tea. it has been credited to lower bad cholesterol levels. and, it has been marketed as a weight loss supplement but no studies have substantiated this claim. again...delicious!

the best way to enjoy hot tea? well...some people add sugar. some people add cream. some people float a nice slice of lemon. there is NO wrong way. i, personally, enjoy a flavored tea, with a bit of splenda , while snuggled on the couch, covered in my nightmare before christmas blanket. 

                                   

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

"kodachrome...they give us those nice, bright colors..."

this week has been about cider...and baseball...healthy eating (or not)....handbags and best friends...

^magners...for the irish in everybody^

^i love the city^

^the great debate...homestyle or curly fries?^

^healthy and sweet snacks^

^retro diet...my fave^

^thank you, michael kors, for knowing just what i like^

^baseball games and favorite ushers^

^my view^

^besties and baseball^

HAPPY INSTAGRAMMING!!!

SUNDAY LESSONS

"karma karma karma karma karma chameleon...."

FLASHBACK a few weeks back
i get a phone call. "did you hear what blah blah blah did?" what?! no! "yeah. blah blah blah did yadda yadda yadda! and then this and that happened". omg. (you can insert any horrible gossip you like, it won't change the outcome of my story, or hurt my feelings).
FLASH FORWARD september 14, 2013
it's my typical morning. all's quiet, except for the bk taking an occasional deep breath, in his sleep. the only light is the glare from my computer. i scroll through a little facebook. a little twitter. and a lot of pinterest. and, then, i see it. blah blah blah, who had done the horrible~awful yadda yadda yadda is spending quite a bit of time talking about karma. what? dude!? you know karma's coming after you, right?! it annoys me, so i change my facebook status:

lots of people agree with me. the bk and i talk about it for a minute and i go on with my life. the next 20 minutes goes like this: i stub my toe, on the way to the kitchen *karma*. i start cooking bacon and i burn the first few pieces *karma*. i pour grits into the boiling water and, before i blink, they are blowing the lid off the pot *karma*. i make the perfect sunny~side up egg, and it sticks to the spatula when i am transferring it to the plate *karma*. i am grumbling. what is going on? "weren't you the one who said that when you wish bad karma on people it gets you, too?" ugh.

FLASH FORWARD today
i just wanted to remind everyone NOT to wish bad karma on people. always be kind. karma will get them when she's ready, but you don't want her coming after you in the meantime.

have a great day peeps!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

"snapshot image froze without a sound..."

i've learned a few things in the past week, like: never leave your dishes for the next morning; dogs will protect you from zombie cats; and starbucks refreshers are delicious, low~cal, refreshing (duh doy, it's in the name) treats...

^my morning...every morning^

^early morning disaster^

^first pumpkin ale of the season AND cool label^

^her icing melted but it was still delicious^

^the boys of fall^

^my new favorite thing^

^hydration is important^

^almost the end of summer vegetables^

^stay away from her, she's a zombie^

^shadow dancing^

HAPPY INSTAGRAMMING!!

TASTY TUESDAY

you guys!! i came home from work, sunday, and the bk had cooked dinner. it was fabulous and i just had to share!!

HAWAIIAN CROCKPOT CHICKEN

ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts (original recipe called for 12 drumsticks)
1 c ketchup
1 c packed dark brown sugar
½ c soy sauce
1 tbs grated fresh ginger (or ¼ tbs ground, because who has fresh ginger just laying around)
a splash of sesame seed oil

cover chicken with sauce and cook, on high, for about 2 hours. shred chicken with a fork and return to crockpot. cook an additional 2~3 hours. (you can shred chicken before serving, he just preferred it to simmer in sauce a bit).

we served over jasmine rice with a side of sauteed vegetables. you could, also, serve on hawaiian bread as sliders.

happy crockpotting!!!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

"shake it, shake, shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture..."











the past week has been all about good food, baseball, romantic walks, friendship, and pineapples.

^when pizza is healthy^

^riverboats on the ohio^

^a cardinal and her bk^

^ducks on a pond^

^haunted riverboats...it's a thing^

^big brother is watching you^

^beer and cookies are a good thing^

^everything is better in a pineapple glass^

^it was a hot and sunny day at the reds' game^

^yellow watermelon...a delicious and healthy treat^

happy instagramming!!

WHAT UP WEDNESDAY

FLASHBACK november 2012
i blogged, word for word, the following:

"you put your chocolate in my peanut butter...you put your chocolate in my peanut butter"
FLASHBACK 2002
i haven't always been terrified of peanut butter. oh. i've always hated peanut butter. HATED peanut butter. but not AFRAID peanut butter. why do i hate peanut butter? it doesn't taste like peanuts. AT ALL. it looks like it belongs in a baby diaper. seriously. and it grows when you put it in mouth. yes, it does!! it grows and gets stuck on the roof of your mouth...and then you can't swallow. or breathe. and you think you're gonna die. you think i'm exaggerating. i am not. but, as much as i hate peanut butter, i was never afraid of it...until. until my kids saw a very special clip from cky, the guys that, eventually, brought us jackass. that clip, "rake yohn hates mustard", inspired them to attack me with peanut butter. it started with a simple finger of peanut butter to the face. GROSS!!! then, the onslaught began. walk in the house...get a face full of peanut butter. walk out of the bathroom...get a face full of peanut butter. stand at the stove, cooking dinner...get a face full of peanut butter. i. am now. legitimately. afraid of peanut butter.
FLASH FORWARD september 2010
i have the hiccups. it's horrible. bridgette says "a spoonful of peanut butter will get rid of them." i am not letting peanut butter anywhere near me. "fine. just sit over there hiccuping." ugh! this is super annoying! so...i suck it up. jamie covers my eyes and bridgette sticks a spoonful of peanut butter in my mouth. it tastes HORRIBLE!! i start crying. the hiccups go away. "see! we told you it would work!" it only worked because i was AFRAID i was going to choke to death!!

FLASH FORWARD august 16~17,2013
i make a batch of peanut butter cookies, for the bk, and blog about my experience and the recipe. the recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, and there are only two of us. only one of us is weird enough to eat them, so i take most of them to work. the questions begin: why don't you like peanut butter? you can't eat it at all?!! WHAT?! what do you mean you're scared of it?! turns out, i'm not the only person with a fear of food. we start a list. first, cottage cheese. cottage cheese makes the list three times. THREE?!  i'll admit i hate cottage cheese. HATE IT!! but scared of it? why is it scary? all three women point out it's slimy. and lumpy. and just plain gross. one says she can't eat stouffer's lasagna because the ricotta cheese reminds her of cottage cheese. then, anchovies. again, i hate anchovies. HATE THEM. they're salty. and fishy. and ruin a perfectly good pizza. but i'm not scared of them. when i ask why they're scary all the girl does is shudder. the next response? raisins. RAISINS? what? why? 
"because they look like bugs. bugs." omg!! THEY DO!! they do look like bugs!! ack!! 

turns out, i'm not alone in my food phobia. it's a thing.  cibophobia is the fear of food, in general. it is, often, confused with anorexia because people who suffer cibophobia will be seen avoiding foods. they usually avoid foods that they consider risky, like mayonnaise. why is mayo risky? it can spoil. can you imagine a mouthful of spoiled mayo? bleck. i avoid peanut butter for ALL the reasons mentioned above. and, i learned i suffer from arachibutyrophobia, the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. there is no name for the other reasons i'm scared of peanut butter. but at least i know i'm not alone.
so...how do you know you have a fear of food and not a simple dislike? if you get nauseous, shaky, dizzy,  or get heart palpitations you have a fear. if you look at cottage cheese and simply say "gross", you probably just don't like it. 
what about a cure? supposedly, if you gradually expose yourself to the food you will, eventually, get over your fear. okay. no. this is not true. i have tried, on multiple occasions, to get over my fear *see above hiccup incident* and dislike. it's not happening. and i figure i lived this all these years without peanut butter in my life...i can last a few 30 or 40 more.

 do you have a food phobia? tell me about it...:)


ps...the fear of raisins. yeah. it's called inyaphobia. it's a real thing, too...

WHAT UP WEDNESDAY

FLASHBACK 1978/79
kat and i are in 7th grade...and we love make~up. we. L~O~V~E make~up. we spend all of our free time listening to blondie and experimenting with mascara and eyeliner. we apply...and, then, we wash it all off with noxzema...drench our skin in seabreeze (we love the way our skin tingles)...and we start all over again. we get it wrong. we wear so much eye make~up you can't even see our eyeballs. 
FLASH FORWARD today
i still love make~up. and sometimes i like to experiment with a smokey eye...or a bombshell eye...or pin~up girl red lips. but, most of the time, i like to look like i'm not wearing any makeup. a natural look just fits my hippy freak personality. how do i get that look? cheaply.  with the exception of my clinique different lipstick (a free gift when i picked up my mama's moisturizer), all my face care and make~up comes from the drug store. look inside my make~up bag and you'll find products that i have used for **cough cough** 35 years **cough cough**. do you have any favorites that you will never ever out~grow?

inside my bag:

• rimmel lasting finish foundation in sand
• maybelline cover stick in medium
• covergirl professional loose powder in translucent medium
• covergirl classic color blush in soft mink
• maybelline expert eyes liner in blond
• maybelline great lash in dark brown
• clinique different lipstick in shy
• love's baby soft cologne spray (i am not even kidding)
• olay complete daily moisturizer

don't forget: it's important to remove your make~up every night to prevent clogged pores and break~outs. i still prefer noxzema, followed by a gentle astringent (i've used witch hazel since high school...thanks kat!).