My little girl...

who still picks dandelions for me.  :)

Feel Good Moment

Last night, the church youth group that I lead had a movie & manicure night.  It was wonderful to see so many of the girls there! I love these girls so much, and they seem to like me too... at least I hope that's why they give me so much grief.

Part (all?) of the good-natured ribbing focuses on my "advanced" age. We talk bedazzled walkers, Parkinson's, Red Hat Society, Alzheimer's/memory loss, "olden days", who gets my iPhone & Macbook when I die...if it's age-related, they harass me over it.  It happens a lot.  In fact, I can't think of a single time we've been together when they haven't had some old-age zinger - or maybe that's just my ancient brain forgetting.  :)

Last night, one of the girls used an inappropriate term to describe someone, and I called her on it. Her reply? "Boy, Sister Poulsen, you sure have good hearing for an old person!"

After the laughing subsided, one of the other girls asked how old I really was. I love this question, so I told them to guess. After the immediate cacophony that resulted (in which I couldn't really hear a single answer), I told them I was 45, and was met with complete and utter disbelief.

Okay, I really want to believe that it was sincere, but if it wasn't, then they all deserve acting scholarships.  They were that good.  One girl, who I'd venture to say is not my biggest fan, was stunned, and said "No way.  Mid-to-late thirties, maybe.  I never would have guessed 45.  Ever."  Other girls were saying it just wasn't possible.  (See why I love these girls?)

So, here's to rockin' the mid-forties!  

ps - I had to post about this, so that I wouldn't forget it in the haze of old age.  The irony here is that I DO have a terrible memory, but it has absolutely nothing to do with age - I've been that way for decades!

I need new shorts!

Someone call the 80's fashion police! This is just embarrassing.

The good news is that I wear solid black tights over the shorts. The safety green I can live with, because it screams "LOOK AT ME!", which is a very good thing to scream if you're a cyclist battling traffic.

But I do need new shorts. Summer will be here soon, and I do not have the self confidence to pull off this look. Besides, motorists might end up laughing so hard they lose control and hit me anyway!

Weight Loss Secret?

So I've been managing to lose a little more weight lately - which is nice, since I've plateaued for the last, oh, YEAR or so...


How, you ask? Well, an old Japanese saying—Hara hachi bunme—instructs people to stop eating when you are 80% full.

So basically, once I got used to* being 20% hungry ALL THE TIME, I started losing weight.  I may look better, but my family might soon request that I add extra portions...  'cause if momma ain't happy, ain't no body happy!  

My sincere hope is that my new smaller portions will become the norm, and soon I won't notice the mild hunger.  What is nice is that, with my new, healthier lifestyle, a mild drop in blood sugar doesn't give me severe headaches like it used to when I was younger.  Then again, it might just be that I eat more often.  Just less.  And slightly better.  But still with chocolate.

*for the record, I am not yet used to it, and may never be...

"Best Family Night Ever!"

So, I scored major points with my youngest tonight by buying this movie, which we watched for Family Home Evening.

Me: "So, do you like the movie so far?"

Madi: "Yes!!  I can't take my eyes off him!"

Ah, the celebrity crush.

Madi is (and has been for a while) completely obsessed with Elvis, but until recently, I had managed to keep her from the knowledge that he made movies as well as sang.  Well, that cat's out of the bag.

Madi's not the only one with a celebrity crush.  Last Saturday, I overheard Sarah and her friend Julie talking while watching Justin Bieber's DVD "Never Say Never".  Sarah bowled me over by exclaiming "He's so CUTE!  I really like him!"

Young girls, drooling over boys.  So completely normal.  I love it.  :)

Recipe: Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Ever ended up on a website, and can't really remember the trail of links that got you there?  Well, that happened to me today.  I know I didn't start out looking for cookie recipes, but ended up here.  The chocolate chip oatmeal cookies looked so good that it was easy to decide to ignore my to-do list and head to the kitchen instead.

But, Sarah's been on an oatmeal kick lately, and we were almost out of oatmeal.  The only other oatmeal I found was this:

I love this stuff - it's super yummy - but I always forget that it's in the cupboard.  Looking at the box got me wondering... can you make cookies with flavored instant oatmeal?

A quick trip to Google reveals that you can!  The original recipe is from a website that I have never heard of or visited before today, and it's not even a recipe website.  Ah, the magic of the internet.

Here is my version of the recipe.  Oh, so yummy!  Since I'm on a chocolate & cherry kick lately, I threw in some chocolate chips.  I'm betting that you could add almonds, too, and they would be divine.

Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 c. Butter, Softened (1 Stick)
1/4 c. Granulated Sugar
1/2 c. Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 T. Milk
1/4 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 c. Flour
6 Packets Of Cherry Almond Instant Oatmeal

1/2 c. chocolate chips (white chocolate would be good, too)

1/3 c. dried cherries, chopped fine

Directions:

The day before: cream the butter and sugars. Combine the egg and milk, and add to the creamed mixture.  

In a small bowl mix baking powder, baking soda, and flour.  Add slowly to the butter mixture a little at a time and beat to incorporate. Add in the packets of oatmeal, chopped cherries, and chocolate chips and mix to combine.

For best results, refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours; preferably overnight.  If you can't wait, the cookies will still be delicious, but much flatter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a non-stick cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Space them farther apart if the dough is unchilled to avoid a unicookie.

Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Bones

Last night, during a quiet scene in the movie Gary and I were watching, I heard Sarah in the next room, laughing vigorously.  The laughing continued for quite a while, so I decided to investigate.  I opened the door to Sarah's room, and found her sitting on her bed, covers pushed off, and her bedside lamp on.

Me: "Hey, buddy, what's up?"
Sarah (huge smile, still laughing):  "I love my bones!"
Me: "What?  You love your bones?"
Sarah: "Yes!  They are so CUTE!"
Me (grinning): "Well, yes, I guess they are.  Come on, time to go back to sleep."
Sarah: "They are great!  They hold me up!  I love my bones!"

It might help to note that bones have been a big thing in our house this week; Sarah's science class is studying anatomy.  She finds the location of the coccyx quite hysterical.  ("There's a bone - and it's in your butt!!")

One of the things about living with Sarah is getting to experience the joy of simple things.  Most days she'll drive you crazy, but then she says something that really makes you think.  I mean, when was the last time you thought to be thankful for your bones?