I loved this article about 100 Ways to Live to 100. It presented a study that shared advice from centenarians. There are 100 ways listed that could, possibly, lengthen your life.
A few on the list, I am happy to say, were naturally given to me. I was born a woman and had a happy childhood.
Some are just not possible. I wasn’t born in Japan and I am not going to win a gold medal, an Oscar, or the Nobel Prize.
Many I have done or I am already doing. For example, I live in a Blue state, I got married and I have a family, I run {but not too much}, I wash my hands, and I love retail therapy.
Here are a few things I think I can add: practice yoga, don’t dread getting older, keep busy, get a mammogram.
Lastly, I will be sure and remember to move to the Aloha State and not play professional football!
Yep! Pinterest strikes again. I saw a pin for cooking hash browns in a waffle iron and I was immediately intrigued. I love finding new ways to use appliances that are stored in my cupboards. Put them to work. I had frozen hash browns, but I think fresh shredded potatoes [like Simply Potatoes] might work even better.
I tossed the frozen hash browns with a small pour of olive oil, Lawry’s seasoning and salt & pepper. Then made a fairly thick layer of hash browns on a hot waffle iron. I had mine set to the highest setting.
A few minutes later, I had perfectly done hash browns. Crispy on the outside, but still moist! There is nothing like a plate of crispy hash browns and a cup of coffee on a rainy Sunday morning. Enjoy.
I seriously fell in love with Chicago. A direct, mid-morning flight from Seattle got us to the Windy City in time for cocktail hour. We explored the city by foot, taxi, train, and boat! We took the Blue Line into the city from the airport. For $5 it was a total bargain and kicked off a weekend of adventure. It was great to walk Chicago because it was totally flat! I felt like we could walk for miles and miles-which we probably did! I highly recommend the Architecture Boat Tour on the Chicago River. The 90-minute tour provided excellent history and stories regarding the buildings, the architects, and the city itself! My favorite building was the Chicago Tribune building [sadly, I don’t have a picture!]. The food was outstanding. We ate late [since we were on rock star- I mean Pacific time]. Dining with a party of 8 can be a challenge, but we had excellent service and outstanding food! One evening at a tapas bar we ordered the entire left side of the menu. We were having so much fun, decisions were easy. It was a luxury to travel with dear friends, dress up, dine out, stay up late, and have little [well, actually no] responsibilities.
We ate well, slept little and laughed heartily. The deep dish pizza, 4am closing, and social media may have got the best of me-but the trip was fantastic. I wasn’t fully recovered until Wednesday. Thank you, thank you, thank you Chicago! I will be back.
Stay::
Fairmont @ Millennium Park Centrally located just a few blocks from the Chicago River and Michigan Avenue. It was an easy walk to Millennium Park [home of The Bean] and The Art Institute of Chicago.
Xoco Mexican done right by Rick Bayless [none of us knew how to pronounce it….we were told it was “cho-co”]. Casual dining. My favorite was the Guacamole Bar [add mix-ins] and fresh to order churros!
Giordano’s Home to the famous stuffed pizza. Death by cheese, but oh so right! Can’t go wrong. [They also offered gluten-free thin crust.]
The Gage Great place to grab a drink and something to eat before the game. I loved the interior. Felt like old school, Chicago [what ever that is!].
Play::
Divvy Bikes All over the city we saw racks and racks of awesome blue bikes. It was a bike share program. Too cool!
Feeling it and I am kind of loving it. Even with the sun, the days are crisp. Time to shift to boots, sweaters, and mid-afternoon coffee. Fall harvest is right around the corner. The change of seasons is a true gift in the Northwest.
More fall inspiration on my fall in to fall board on Pinterest.
With the school year going strong, homework is in full effect. There may be some kids that LOVE to do more work after school, but my guys are not two of them. Little Man has had homework for a total of two days {in his entire life} and he is already sick of it. Oh, boy. This is going to be a long 12 years.
Since both boys love to use the iPad, it is motivating to use it for homework. What better way to use it?
Magnetic Alphabet is perfect app to use while practicing spelling words. The kids simply tap and drag the “magnetic” letters to build each of their words. They can change the letters’ colors and the background. The app features upper case and lower case letters, symbols, and numbers, {plus shapes and pictures for fun.}. It works great for kids in primary grades {k-2} because their words tend to be short. If your sweet things grumble about spelling practice….this $1.99 app might just save your sanity.
We are off! My husband and I are headed for a long weekend in Chicago. And the party starts as soon as we back out of the drive way. If you travel with kids, you know exactly what I am talking about! Without them, everything is 100% easier. [I have almost missed flights when traveling alone. I am too darn relaxed.] My carry on has earphones, a new book, a couple of magazines and my camera. THAT’S it! I don’t need to worry about snacks or on-board entertainment. I won’t need to light a fire under anyone’s ass. We simply drive to the airport, breeze through security, sit back, relax and arrive just in time for cocktail hour in Illinois. The plan is to eat, drink, and take in the city from ground and water. We can’t wait!
Have a wonderful weekend. See you back here Monday! xoxo-denise
{This someecard created by moi! I couldn’t help myself.}
Ok, the title is a little misleading. The basic recipe to this “cookie” is two ingredients: quick oats and bananas. And….they are called cookies for the lack of a better name. With no added sugar or sweeteners, it is just like eating a bowl of oatmeal with mix-ins. The recipe for {2 ingredient} Oatmeal Cookies could not be more simple and easy to follow! I have made these several times over the last couple of days and I have discovered that VERY ripe bananas and quick oats make the best cookie. However, all the batches were good and I ate them all myself. [Note: These are great after school snacks, but even better mom-on-the-run snacks!]
Simply mash up 2 RIPE bananas, dump in 1 cup of quick oats, and your choice of mix-ins. I threw in a handful of chopped walnuts and a handful of mini-chocolate chips. Mix together. Bake on a GREASED cookie sheet @350 for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are firm.
Quick breakfast, easy snack, late night dessert. It all works! Enjoy.
Over the summer I started using PicMonkey to edit my photos and build collages to use in blog posts. My end goal is to eventually learn to use Photoshop, but I really needed an editing tool that I could use now, with little to no expertise! PicMonkey is kind of amazing and it’s free. Edit your photos, create collages, and then simply save them to your computer. The tools include Basic Edits, Effects, Touch Up, Text, Overlays, Frames, Textures, and Themes. And did I mention it was free?
For example, this is a photo I snapped on my iPhone yesterday. A new pair of sandals….of course you take a picture!
With PicMonkey, I was able to crop the photo and then resize it to fit the specifications of my blog. I also used an Effect [or filter] called Orton to soften the look.
It is by no means professional and I still have a ton to learn, but I love playing around on this website for novice, photo editors. Not sure how you would use it? It could be as simple as adjusting the color on your point-and-shoot photos or adding text to a photo before you share it on Facebook. As I learn more, I will be sure to share tutorials. But you can play now!
{P.S. The Touch Up editor has tools for Blemish Fix, Wrinkle Remover, Nip Tuck, and Weight Loss. Oh, hello!}
I am back and ready to answer that age-old question. “What’s for dinner?” During the busy weekdays the slow cooker is a family’s best friend. It is equally as great on the weekends. Fix it in the morning and enjoy your time together.
Give this Thai-Style Pork Stew a try this weekend or put it on your menu for next week. It uses nothing but simple ingredients-including creamy peanut butter! Don’t forget the green onion, chopped peanuts, and limes to put on top. They make this dish fantastic.
We have our phones with us all the time. Pictures are snapped non-stop! Rarely do those pictures escape the confines of our smart device! StickyGram Magnets seem like the perfect way to get them off your phone and made into something useful. Perfect gifts for you or someone you love! Fab.com has StickyGram Magnets discounted on their site right now. Maybe this fun project will motivate me to do something today!
