Evaluate Your Life Day

This is a bit scary. It sounds just a little bit too serious for my liking. Well that is what Evaluate Your Life Day is all about and October 19^th is that day. And, what if I evaluate my life, and find out that I don't like it????

Well, for starters, you can then make positive changes.

Evaluate Your Life Day gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect upon our life, where it's been, and where it’s going. Come on be honest with yourself. Are things going well? What is bothering you? What do you need, or want, to change? How's your appearance? Are you gaining too much weight?

With a self-evaluation you can then make big changes to improve the quality of your life, as necessary. Or if things are going well, just tinker with small adjustments.

After doing my own self-evaluation, I am on the right path for myself physically. A few months ago, we started a weight watchers program to change our eating habits to a more healthy way of eating. We started an exercise program not to bulk up but simply get ourselves in better shape. After all we are not getting any younger and plan to be together for a very long time.

Okay, so the body is getting under control, what about the mind? I love reading and read approximately 2-4 books a month. Everything I have read states those that read books for enjoyment have fewer issues with dementia with aging. So okay brain seems to be okay.

I have a great professional life at this time. I have been fortunate to have had an interesting career with a great group of people. Although at times the job is stressful and the pressure from those higher up can seem so unappreciative and oppressive, I am blessed with a great boss that is very supportive. So check off Professional life as status quo, no major changes at this time.

I started an Internet business several years ago and the economy knocked us out of making any major achievement with our Gift Basket/Unique Gift venture. We reorganized and continue to struggle to make the right moves to make something of our company.  So there is always changes and education going on with this aspect of my life.

Moving on to my personal life self-evaluation, I have a loving caring family that support and believe in my abilities. I have a great relationship with my best friend. I have a new custom built home. I am living in the area of the country that is feels home to me. I am happy, content and could not ask for anything more.

Oh sure, winning the lottery, becoming financially secure would always be nice benefit for myself and family.  Until then, I will continue to make Evaluate Your Life Day to take a moment to see if there are any changes that I can do to ensure I am on the right path for myself, partner and family.

I believe that Evaluate Your Life Day is the beginning of a happier and healthier you! So why not take a moment and do your own self-evaluation.

Keep Dancing  LB

 

Cooking Tips That Can Work For Everyone

Paul and I started a diet and exercise program approximately 60 days ago. We have been doing a great job at changing our diet and eating healthier.  We cut back on the number of times we eat out and are doing more cooking at home with fresh produce.  It has been great getting back into researching new recipes and creating our own along the way. 

To date, we have lost 25 pounds each.  Along with the recipes, we have come across some helpful  tips along the way. So I thought I would put together a few articles focusing on cooking  that I think are good reminders if not new insight for others.

Whether you are teaching your children to cook or just looking for ways to maximize your own time in the kitchen, use these tips to help with meal preparation. Creating delicious and nutritious meals for yourself and your family can be easy and fun for everyone who is included in the cooking process.

When you are making homemade soups that contain meat, they tend to have a lot of fat that needs to be skimmed from the top. One quick solution to that problem is dropping in a couple of ice cubes. As the ice melts, the fat will stiffen around it and you will be able to remove it with ease.

You need to always season fish and meats as evenly as possible. Sprinkle seasoning like salt and pepper gingerly through the tips of your fingers as if they are snowflakes. This way, the grains don't get clumped together and the meats don't wind up without any seasoning in a few areas and too much in others.

To keep your burgers flat, indent the middle of the burger with your thumb, nearly leaving a hole, before frying or grilling the patties. As the meat draws up and shrinks while cooking, the indentation will close itself, leaving you with flat burgers instead of small patties with extra thick middles.

Slice garlic when you sauté it. Many people mince garlic. If you plan to sauté it in a pan, this might not be the best idea. When you sauté minced garlic it is likely to burn. If you cut the garlic into slices it cooks more thoroughly and without burning.

When sauteing ingredients in a fry pan ensure that you don't overcrowd the pan with too much food. Trying to cook too much at once will only lower the temperature of the pan and lead to steaming instead of browning. It is wiser to saute the ingredients in two separate batches, if necessary, and this will maintain the quality of cooking.

Leverage some or all of the tips in this article to help you prepare great meals for your family. Whether you are cooking a quick meal after a long day or a large meal for guests, use the tips provided in this article to best leverage your time and ingredients, in the kitchen. 

Keep Dancing  LB

Fall Activites in Clarksville, TN

As I stated in last week’s blog entry, this is one of my favorite times of the year. There is so much offered around town and the county that you can spend every chance you get out doors enjoying the cooler weather.

Paul and I spent a great evening Thursday of this week walking along the historical downtown Clarksville at the First Thursday Artwalk. This is where the local galleries stay open and show case local artist the first Thursday of the month. It was a beautiful fall evening here and the art was really fantastic. The picture is of  hand made wood roses we found last night.

This weekend we have our choice of either attending the Oktoberfest Saturday afternoon and evening or joining “Jazz on the Lawn” at the local Beachaven Winery.

We are constantly trying new adventures so when friends and family visit we can recommend different activities to make their visit memorable.

Later this month, we plan to attend Jammin’ in the Alley. We have a great little area called Strawberry Alley with Cafes, galleries and artsy shops. Every third Friday, they hold a great evening with local bands, dancing and the cafes open their doors and place tables outside for dining.

The drought and hot temperatures of the past summer are a fading memory but with the cooler evenings we are expected to see a great increase in fall colors earlier than normal. So we will be planning a drive out to ‘Land between the Lakes’ in the next few weeks to capture the great colors.  Land between the Lakes is exactly that the land between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. These are two the world’s largest man-made lakes created by the TVA building dams on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.

Next on the agenda is to check out the local Theater productions, they are offering a great variety this year and the old Roxy Theater is just a historical landmark here in Clarksville it will be great spending time in such a grand old theater.

Well it is off to the ball park this evening, got to cheer our favorite “Dirt in the skirt” player-Christy and harass our favorite Umpire Richards.  It is church league night, we have to see how many leave their Jesus at home, and they tend to get very competitive on Friday nights.

Keep Dancin’  LB

Change of Seasons

It is that time of year the evenings are getting cool and the days are getting shorter. Football has started and homecomings are occurring. Summer softball has ended and the fall league has started. The deer stands are up and the archers have strung their bows.

This is the beginning of a wonderful time here in the Midwest. Pumpkins of all sizes and colors are piling up and everyone is rejuvenated after a long extremely hot summer.  The start of the decorating season coincides with hunting season. It is the time of fall festivals, craft shows and evening concerts. The crops are being harvested; the smoke houses are smokin and the kids are back in school.

I am already seeing homeowners preparing for the winter. It is the time for fertilizing yards, closing up pools, water sealing decks and pressure cleaning everything that does not move.  We have become part of that movement as well here at Orchard Hills.  We have planted bulbs for the spring thaw; water sealing the deck is next.  We have already fertilized the yard and put in more grass seed in the back yard.

Fall is the re-colorization of the earth, red, browns, yellows, oranges are popping up everywhere among the green.   It looks like this is going to be a beautiful season.  It won’t be long before the leaves start dropping and the winter gray will settle in its place.

The only drawback this year is all the political debris in the form of signs, billboards, and flyers that are making a mess of the otherwise beautiful landscape. If the politicians only would set aside a nice portion of their so called war chest for after election clean up.  Yeah I know like that would ever happen.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. It is great to be home.

Entertaining -Community service

During this week of Jewish Holidays, I was reminded of many years gone by when I entertained for the Jewish War Veterans Group led by the late Murray Broder. Murray was the owner of Broder's Wholesale Tobacco and Candy Store in Worcester Maine. We were a group of entertainers that went out once a week to nursing homes, veteran's homes, hospitals, military bases and orphanages. No one could ever say no to Murray. He was one of the most generous people, I ever knew.

For 15 years, I worked beside other great entertainers such as Nils Hagberg, Walter Fields, Carol Zannotti, The Gaslows, The Nadeau Sisters, Marion Rittaco, Steve Colombo, Andre, the Magician, Lilian Sedaris and Jerry Felicetti(my Dad), just to name a few of the many great talents that gave up their time to bring joy to others.

The audience's faces would light up at each show. Murray brought joy to all ethnic groups, including the Nazareth home for boys, St. Ann's Orphanage and others.  I even remember the nuns at these facilities having a great time at these shows as well. 

Many a Christmas day were devoted to doing 3 or 4 shows at several locations. Of course, Murray supplied the goodies to all and he showed his appreciation to the entertainers by treating us all at the Broadway Deli on Water Street.

It was so much fun and so many fond memories of those times, working with so many great talents and being able to bring joy and happiness to so many. Many that had served our country and it was our turn to give back to them. 

Till next time. Ms. Honey

I thank Ms. Honey for her contributions to my weekly blog. Her experiences and stories are always an inspiration to me.  I learn something new about my dear friend with each article.

Keep Dancing  LB

Home Ownership

Okay, Condo living only lasted a mere eleven months, before we found ourselves back in a house. The past week has been a whirlwind of unpacking, organizing, hanging, arranging, deliveries, purchases, planning, purchases, contractors, installers and did I mention purchases.

It was only eleven months but home ownership was totally wiped from my memory. Condo living we only had to worry about the inside of the condo and the small patio out back.  Now we are back looking at taking care of a house again.  Yes, I know we are in a new construction with an exterior that is basically maintenance free but I do have to plan on winterizing exterior plumbing and water sealing the deck.

Plus for the first time in over twenty years, we had to purchase a lawn mower and weed eater.  Yikes, I have to do more in the yard than take care of a flower bed and fish pond.  Presently, I have to purchase more grass seed to assist the back yard, ensure the sod in front and side yards are fertilized and purchase border brick for the front flower bed. Notice that word Purchase keeps popping up, well that is part of being home owners.

We are also having 2 man caves completed over the next few days then we can reclaim the garage for its true purpose of storing automobiles.  What a concept the last garage I had was a work room /store room and this one is even large enough for two vehicles, a motorcycle and still has room to spare.

The D Suite (Dad Suite) looks more like a fine Hotel Suite than a guest room. Coffee pot, 40 inch flat panel TV, pub style table and chairs, rocking chair with reading lamp, and once the wall hangings, plus dorm size frig are added it will be complete.

We have created what we are calling the E suite which is the main guest room, Antique furniture, King Size bed, Antique wall decorations and just waiting for the plantation shutters.  Guest will have a nice short stroll down the Cruise Memorial gallery to their large yet cozy bath.

Yes, moving from 1000 square feet condo to what will eventually be 2200 under environmental control has been a great adventure. It actually is great to be back in a house where we have room to spread out and even room to grow. 

It is great to be home owners again and look forward to many years of happiness here. I am hopefully that the purchases will subside once we have obtained all the necessary tools and items we need to complete the house.

Till later LB

Yahoo!

New Beginnings

Yahoo!

Nearly 11 months ago, Paul and I made the decision that it was best for us and family to relocate to Clarksville, TN. After much discussion and mental anguish, I approached my boss to request a transfer and was rewarded with the knowledge that she was not about to lose me to another State or office. So with the security of being employed remotely, we put the house on the market, thinking we might have to leave and deal with a long distance sale. Fortunately, that was not the case and the Florida house sold in two days.

So with a month to pack, deciding what went with us in our two vehicles and what would be placed in storage, our path was clear to make the final move to Tennessee. We had purchased the Little Condo on the Bluff a couple of years prior as our getaway location and now it would be our new home.

The Condo is a great little house, quiet and peaceful but the goal of moving to Tennessee was to eventually convince Dad it was time to retire and that we wanted him to live with us. Dad is the only surviving parent that my sister, Paul and I have and it is our goal to ensure he takes care of himself. So even though we loved living in the condo, it was not going to be our ultimate location.

After spending months roaming Montgomery County, we looked at multiple re-sells but no matter what we liked it was going to take thousands to make it suitable for ourselves. Our wonderful realtor passed on a link regarding a new subdivision approximately 3 miles from the condo. After touring the spec. homes in the community we found the perfect model. It had a Dad Suite and a bonus room that we could convert into 2 man caves. Plus starting from the ground up we could make all the modifications that we wanted from the start.

So after 5 months, we are now in the Orchard Hills house. We have spent the week moving, unpacking and purchasing to our bodies and credit card are totally exhausted. We are now awaiting the delivery of the Florida Storage and few items that we had to order to arrive. The Dad Suite is nearly complete and now the real work of convincing the Old Missouri Mule to think about retiring will begin in earnest.

Clarksville has become our new home town and we could not be happier. A new home, new neighborhood and starting Monday September 10^th; Larry B resurfaces with an International Line Dance class at the Clarksville Athletic Club. It is always stressful starting out on a new beginning but having family and support from friends it has been a great adventure. Granted it is one we do not plan to do again, Clarksville is the final stomping ground.

Till next time, LB.