archives

favorite links
Shop J. Jill!

Check out the weather

It's a girl's place

Cook! Create something yummy!

Vist Oprah Online!

My Flickr Account

Email Me

Plan Early

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Cupid better get busy making plans. If you're going to dinner with your honey, better make reservations now. It's on a Monday this year, so ask for the afternoon off from work....or at least get off a few hours early so you are not rushing around after work.

OR....stay in this year.

I think staying in is a good plan. Buy a few steaks and grill out. Or order something from your favorite restaurant and pick it up. A lot of places have carry out now....you just have to call ahead. I think this is better than cooking because it just saves the cleaning up and you are still eating out....just at home.

Gifts. Don't forget the gift.

Garden Botanika is a good place to start. They have this stuff called ChocoLatte that I think would be perfect for you and your sweetie. It's a cross between chocolate and coffee. I got a sample and I was skeptical about this....thinking it would make me smell like a cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate. It actually smells good. I put it on and it had hints of both coffee and chocolate, but neither were very pronounced. In my opinion, this would be great for Valentine's Day.

Guilt-free ChocoLatte

Keeping with the chocolate theme, you can get chocolate candles, too! Imagine how romantic this would be :) They also have heart pillar candles.

Perhaps you want to give your sweetie a box of candy but he/she is staying away from sugar? These are the answer! I think you should get these even if they do eat sugar....they are just toooo cute!

Remember, it's the thought that counts. If you just got someone those little chocolate candles, they would be touched. Big expensive things are always nice, but little things like this are nice, too. And if you plan something nice for your honey, like a nice dinner with candles and a gift of candles, lotion or whatever it is you think they will like, trust me, you will reap the rewards ;-)

posted by Kitty Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Funny Friday

Children's Sermon:
One Easter Sunday morning as the minister was preaching the children's sermon, he reached into his bag of props and pulled out an egg. He pointed at the egg.
"What's in here?" he asked them.
"Pantyhose!" one little boy exclaimed.

Supporting A Family:
"Young man, can you support a family?" the prospective father-in-law asked.
The surprised groom-to-be replied, "Well, no. I was just planning to support your daughter. The rest of you will have to fend for yourselves."

Under Five:
A little boy in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed around the offering plates. When they came near his pew, the boy said loudly, "Don't pay for me Daddy, I'm under five."

Good Cook:
"Now, Johnny, tell me, do you say prayers before eating?" The Sunday school teacher asked.
"No sir," he replied, "We don't have to. My mom is a good cook!"

The Mood Ring:
My husband bought me a mood ring the other day. When I'm in a good mood it turns green. when i'm in a bad mood, it leaves a red mark on his forehead.

posted by Kitty Friday, January 21, 2005

Today's Lyrics

Ever heard the song "Love Hurts" by Nazareth? Powerful stuff.

Love hurts, love scars,
Love wounds, and marks,
Any heart, not tough,
Or strong, enough
To take a lot of pain,
Take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud
Holds a lot of rain
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts

I’m young, I know,
But even so
I know a thing, or two
I learned, from you
I really learned a lot,
Really learned a lot
Love is like a flame
It burns you when it’s hot
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts

Some fools think of happiness
Blissfulness, togetherness
Some fools fool themselves I guess
They’re not foolin’ me

I know it isn’t true,
I know it isn’t true
Love is just a lie,
Made to make you blue
Love hurts, ooh,ooh love hurts
Ooh,ooh love hurts

I know it isn’t true,
I know it isn’t true
Love is just a lie,
Made to make you blue
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts
Ooh ooh love hurts
Ooh ooh...

posted by Kitty Wednesday, January 19, 2005

"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" -Martin Luther King, Jr.


An Apple A Day

Yup, there's a new diet...3-Apples-A-Day for 12 weeks plus 40 minutes of fast walking daily. The meal plan sounds good to me, however, I don't know if I could keep it up for 12 weeks. Perhaps if you're a bride-to-be and the big day is just around the corner, you could find the motivation to eat this day after day for that long. Or maybe you really just want to loose weight. One success story is about a 32 year old woman who followed the plan for 12 weeks and lost 20 pounds. One thing is for sure, your dentist will be happy ;-)

**

1500 Calorie for women

Breakfast
Apple
Cheese Omelet
1 cup old-fashioned
cooked oatmeal

Snack
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
& 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt

Lunch
Apple
1 Sizzlin’ Chicken Breast
2 cups steamed broccoli
1/2 cup brown rice

Snack
Cappuccino Shake

Dinner
Grilled Salmon Salad
with apple

Calories: 1445
Protein: 144 grams (40%)
Carbs: 164 grams (44%)
Fat: 25 grams (16%)
Fiber: 29 grams
Sodium: 3019 mg

------

1800 Calorie for men

Breakfast
Apple
Cheese Omelet
1 cup old-fashioned
cooked oatmeal

Snack
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
& 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt

Lunch
Apple
2 Sizzlin’ Chicken Breasts
2 cups steamed broccoli
3/4 cup brown rice

Snack
Cappuccino Shake

Dinner
Grilled Salmon Salad
with apple

Calories: 1807
Protein: 198 grams (44%)
Carbs: 164 grams (36%)
Fat: 40 grams (20%)
Fiber: 29 grams
Sodium: 3416 mg

posted by Kitty Monday, January 17, 2005

Friday Five

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptise cats.
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.

posted by Kitty Friday, January 14, 2005

Simple Cream of Broccoli Soup

6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and choped
3 cups chopped broccoli florets and stems
1/2 cup half-n-half
Nutmeg, to taste
Salt & pepper

Heat broth in a large pot. In a medium skillet, melt butter and cook onion until tender over medium high heat. Add potato and toss to coat with butter. Add potatos to hot broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in broccoli and return to a simmer. When potato and broccoli are tender, puree in small batches in a blender or food processor. Return to pot and add cream. Season to taste. Serves 4.

posted by Kitty Thursday, January 13, 2005

Dream Home 2005

HGTV is has their 2005 Deam Home up for grabs! Check it out...I love the dock house and the pantry!

Enter to win HERE!

posted by Kitty Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Wal-Mart Greeter Sacked

U.S. National - AP
MUSCATINE, Iowa - A Wal-Mart greeter was sacked for apparently showing too much of his friendly side to customers. Dean L. Wooten, 65, was accused of greeting customers with a computer-generated photo of himself in which he appeared to be naked — except for a carefully placed Wal-Mart bag — and of telling customers that Wal-Mart was cutting costs and the sack was the company's new uniform.

A supervisor at the Muscatine store where Wooten had worked for seven years told him to knock it off after customers complained. He was fired five days later, in September, after he displayed the photo again. Wooten's application for unemployment compensation was rejected by an administrative law judge, who said "a reasonable person would know the act of showing a naked body wearing a Wal-Mart sack would not be good for the employer's business."

Wooten said he did not see the harm in the photo, which he said was made by a friend who spliced a picture of Wooten's head onto a shot of another man's body. "When I first seen it, I pretty near died laughing," he said.

posted by Kitty Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Three-Day Nutritional Face-lift

"The promise of a visible difference in your looks in just three days may seem too good to be true. But if you eat the wrinkle-free way for even a short period of time, you will experience dramatic changes, not only in how you look, but how you feel." Dr. Nicholas Perricone

Try this menu for 3 days and see what you think!

Breakfast
4-6oz. grilled salmon
½ cup cooked oatmeal (not instant)
2” wedge of cantaloupe or 1/3 cup fresh berries
No Juice, No Coffee or Toast
(If you normally drink large amounts of coffee, drink black or green tea to prevent caffeine withdrawal)
8-12oz. spring water (Per meal)


Lunch
4 – 6oz. grilled salmon
(Option: you can also use canned salmon and mix a little mayo and fresh squeezed lemon)
2 cups green salad made with romaine lettuce garnish or other dark leafy greens
Dressing: extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon to taste
1 kiwi fruit or 2" wedge of cantaloupe and 1/3 cup berries
8 – 12oz. spring water


Snack
1 apple
2oz slice of turkey breast or 6oz. plain yogurt
Small handful of hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds


Dinner
4-6oz. fresh grilled salmon
Green salad (as described above)
½ cup steamed veggies
(Especially asparagus, broccoli, spinach, etc. NO root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc)
Cantaloupe and berries
8 –12oz. spring water


Before Bedtime Snack
1 pear or apple
2 oz. sliced chicken or turkey breast or 6 oz. plain yogurt
Small handful of hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds

posted by Kitty Monday, January 10, 2005

17 Questions That Could Change You

This year instead of making resolutions, take a moment to reflect on your life. Ask yourself these questions:

1.) If I had to wear my philosophy of life as a motto on a t-shirt, what would it be?

2.) When was the last time I experienced joy? Not just pleasure, JOY.

3.) Is there anything unfinished in my life that I'm willing to walk away from?

4.) Am I inhibited by fear or failing?

5.) If I were able to take my 10-year-old self out to lunch, what would he/she think of me?

6.) Do I believe in God and or I have spiritual beliefs that are truly my own, not someone elses?

7.) Have I made a home for myself or am I still waiting for my Real Life to begin? What's keeping me from saying this is my Real Life right now?

8.) If I could take a 6 month sabbatical from my current job, what would I do?

9.) What do I like most about my appearance and what are my secret vanities?

10.) How do I envision myself at age 60 and what would I like to look like?

11.) Am I living my life for an audience?

12.) What can I do about the people I have disappointed and been disappointed by in my life?

13.) How much money will I need for retirement?

14.) Am I as healthy as I want to be and what steps should I be taking to make that a reality if it isn't already?

15.) Am I capable of being alone?

16.) Do I see success as a lavish banquet or a scarce commodity? When a good friend triumphs, do I feel depleted...as if there's a limited amount of goodness to go around?

17.) How do I want to be loved and have I found that?

posted by Kitty Friday, January 07, 2005

Good Taste ~ Expensive Taste

Tell you what, if I were to actually buy everything I want, I'd be broke. Waaaay broke. To give you an example, here are a few things I've had my eye on.

This sweater and this skirt. Now how cute would I be in that? Pretty darn cute! However, I suppose there are those of you turn your nose up at my taste in clothes. If you fall into that catagory, stop reading now.

I also like this, this, this, and this. As it happens, the
earrings I like are not all that expensive.

But wait, can't forget about shoes! I realize these look.....oldish. But on me, they would be cute because I have this old/cute style. Not much I can do about it....I just seem to be attracted to old style. I can wear the low rise jeans and the new fashions, but at heart, I'm a girl who likes retro girlie things. Oh, these shoes are cute, too ;-)

posted by Kitty Wednesday, January 05, 2005

May 2005 Be A Fortuitous Year For Us All

It sure did come fast ~ didn't it? Just one week ago we were right in the thick of things with Christmas. But now our Christmas trees are loosing their needles and looking a little haggard. The packages are all unwrapped and the bottom of the tree is bare. Empty packaging and wrapping paper are waiting curbside to be recycled. Stockings are hanging empty and lonely. The lights, though still bright, don't seem as bright as they did before. It's time to think to the months ahead...before you know it Valentine's Day will be here and the stores will be filled with red hearts. The months go so fast...I know I won't have to wait long to go on my fabulous vacation this summer. *Beams with joy*

I'm going to get a digital camera soon ~ I know this is something I will love. By the time we head for England, I will know the camera like the back of my hand. I think I'll have a good eye for taking pictures ;) My friend Joe can give me pointers. He took the pictures of me in my Bug last year that you all say look so good....and they do look good. I think they are the only pictures of me that I actually show to people....trust me, that's a big thing. Kudos to Joe!

It's going to be my year...I want it to be my year. Watch out folks, it's going to be the year of the cat!

posted by Kitty Saturday, January 01, 2005

home