Monthly Archives: November 2010

30 November 2010

Cyber Monday

By Nicki

Use to be, back in the good ol’ days, that Black Friday was the only big shopping day around the winter holidays.  Now, those who have a web site are all psyched about Cyber Monday.  Many big box stores are running Cyber Monday specials that you cannot necessarily get at their brick and mortar locations.

 

My sister sent me gift cards to purchase a gift from her to my daughter for Christmas.  I was not going to brave the Black Friday crowds since the particular item was not on sale but I did want to get the purchase taken care of as soon as possible.  Since Cyber Monday was suppose to be a big online shopping day, I headed to our local Best Buy to get my daughter’s gift.  First snag in the road, the store did not yet carry this newest model.  Then came the second snag.  The sales associate checked the Best Buy web site and the model is there and on sale ($50 off).  Ordering from the store is down today due to Cyber Monday so I would have to come home and order on my own.  I am not adverse to ordering items online.  If I had been smart, I would have just ordered it to start with and not gone to the store – which was mobbed.  I did come home and order the item and had no issues with order at all.

 

Now, let me tell you about a PR genius.  Lands’ End – one of my favorite catalog “stores” who does sell some items through Sears locations – is having a Cyber Monday retweet and giveaway on Twitter.  Questions are being asked and specials being promoted about various holiday decor and warm weather items.  Those retweeting the initial items are being entered in a drawing for free goods.  Who would have thought?  I hadn’t planned on purchasing from Lands’ End this holiday season but now have seen some items that will help fill out my gift list.

 

Did you partake in the physical madness that was Black Friday?  What about Cyber Monday?  If you did some Cyber Monday shopping online, did the purchase(s) go smoothly?

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Just my Thoughts

29 November 2010

Advent

By Nicki

Yesterday, I awoke and made some cookies for a friend at church.  I looked around my home to find where I had stashed the Advent wreath from last year’s clean up after the holidays.  I, then, came to my blog to attach two pages back to the blog.  Both of these pages had been private during the year but now it is Advent so they are live again.

 

Advent is a season in the church  year.  Remember here I am Catholic but was not brought up Roman Catholic.  I have only been Catholic for 27 years.  I was, though, raised in the Anglican church which also celebrates Advent.  The Advent season is the four Sundays prior to Christmas and is the beginning of a new church year.  Isn’t it wonderful to start off the church year with a season of anticipation and waiting for the celebration of a wonderful event – the birth of Christ?

 

Similar to the weeks of Lent, Advent is a season of waiting and a season where sacrifice can be practice.  Do we have to practice sacrifice during this holiday season?  Isn’t the last month of a pregnancy normally a time of nesting and anticipation?  I like to think of the sacrifices that we make during Advent as different than the almost penance-like sacrifices of Lent.  In Advent, we may reach out to our neighbors more.  We may help the elderly or those who do not have enough by using some of our wealth to allow them to celebrate Christmas.

 

I spend, and have for 20 plus years now, the Advent season following a book called Awaiting the Child. Isabel Anders has provided daily devotions to help us slow down during the Advent season.  I was brought back to this concept in church today as the homily discussed taking time to enjoy the season and the anticipation of what is to come.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Book Reviews, Family, Just my Thoughts, Religion

28 November 2010

Does Anyone Take Pride …

By Nicki

… in what they make anymore?  I know just where did this come from is what you are all thinking.  No, nothing broke here as I was trying to create a memorable Thanksgiving dinner for my kids and extended family.  No, the artificial tree did not not go to together right after almost ten years.  My guess is I may not want to push this for too many more years, though.

What brought this all about was baking.  I did a lot of baking over the last week – breads and cookies being the favs around my house.  I have been through 3 big (28 ounce) cans of pumpkin puree since last Sunday.  While at the community Thanksgiving service last Tuesday night, a friend asked if I would make him some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  He works in retail so was not going to be Thanksgiving morning mass (neither was I as I was at the Turkey Trot).  I told him I would bring him a dozen on Sunday.

Needless to say, my long run this weekend had me exhausted, not quite sure why, Saturday evening so I figured I had plenty of time Sunday morning to make cookies before heading to church at 11 am.  To top that all off, there were some communication misfires between me and my youngest and I was up most of the night awaiting a call from him as to his whereabouts.

So back to pride in workmanship.  About five years ago, I went out on Thanksgiving day and purchased a five speed, handheld mixer.  My previous mixer, a Waring and a wedding gift, was not broken but the beaters themselves were breaking.  Since this five speed was on sale (I felt like I was trading down as my Waring has 12 speeds), I decided the old mixer itself must be getting ready to break if the beaters were breaking.  What I liked about the original’s beaters is there were two sets – one for normal baking and one for bread doughs.  The newer mixer had only one set of beaters.

About two weeks ago, I went to back something with that now five year old, five speed, handheld mixer.  In the middle of mixing the cookie dough (yes, I could do this all by hand but choose not to), the part that holds the beaters in the mixer popped right out of it.  This is not a normal thing.  I had broken the mixer.  Lucky for me, the beaters fit in my Waring mixer and I had never thrown it out.

So, here I was this morning – running on very little sleep – and thinking how amazing it is that the Waring handheld mixer I have is 26.5 years old and still running like a charm.

Do you think today’s products are inferior to those of earlier days?

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

27 November 2010

Race Recap – 8K Turkey Trot

By Nicki

Woot! Woot! I ran a Turkey Trot this year.  Last year I was laughing at all these people getting up early to run a 5K or 8K race before settling into a food coma the rest of the day.  This year, I was up and getting bundled and out there with them.  The local running club, Triple Cities Runners’ Club, held an 8K Turkey Trot to benefit its scholarship program.  I ran into many people I know that were also running this race and it was at a great location – Otsiningo Park in Binghamton (still kicking myself for not getting a photo of the sign at the park entrance).

 

The 8K began at what use to be a rest area on Interstate 81 North.  This rest area was closed – as far as the road was concerned – several years ago but it has been usurped into the park.  This is great as it means that there is a heated bathroom for the start, not porta-johns or nothing.  The race did two loops around the rest area and then headed out to Otisiningo North.  The course is a paved trail that parallels the Chenango River.  It is mostly flat and always being used by walkers or runners.  I will definitely head out to the park this winter for some of my runs as the trails tend to get cleared.

 

I ran a very fast 9:52 first mile and then settle a bit into around 11 minute miles for the remaining four miles.  I finished the almost five miles in under an hour which would have been my prediction if anyone had asked.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Fitness, Just my Thoughts

24 November 2010

Cranberry Sauce

By Nicki

While my children are huge fans of that gelatinous mess that comes out of a can and looks nothing like cranberries – other than the color, of course, I prefer my cranberries fresh and cooked by me.  Because I am all about getting the cooking done as far in advance as I can of the holiday – I like to socialize with my guests and watch football and get in a good run, too – I did my cranberry sauce yesterday.

I promise it will go in a nice serving dish once the big day arrives.

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag (12 ounces) whole, fresh cranberries

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Juice of one lemon

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 packet Stevia

1 teaspoon ground ginger or freshly ground ginger root (half that if fresh)

Bring water and sugar and Stevia to a boil in a medium pot.  Add rinsed cranberries.  Allow to reach a boil again, then turn down to a simmer.  Do not cover.  Add lemon zest and juice.   Simmer for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove to a bowl and allow to cool completely before refrigerating.

As always, I attempted to make this recipe a bit more healthy as I made it.  The original recipe I found called for a cup of sugar.  I used 1/3 cup and Stevia.  I love orange instead of lemon with my cranberry also but I had lemon on hand so that is what I made this year.  To top it all off, I was drinking a Bigelow tea called Ginger Snappish which is ginger tea with lemon so I added a bit of that to the water once the sugar had dissolved.

Enjoy!!

2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

24 November 2010

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

By Nicki

Make ahead mashed potatoes are a staple on my holiday tables.  My children love potatoes and this recipe means I do not have to be making the potatoes the day of the big event.  I will admit I sometimes have issues getting them in the oven for reheating in time but this year, that will not be a problem.  I did post this recipe about two years ago but have tweaked it a bit so here you all go again.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

5 pounds good baking potatoes, peeled and chopped to small pieces

1 – 8 ounce package 1/3 fat cream cheese (neufchatel)

8 ounces plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup skim milk

1 stick margarine

1 onion, peeled and quartered

salt to taste

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Place potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted water.  Place quarter onion in water also. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain, and mash.

In a large bowl, mix mashed potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, milk, , and pepper. Transfer to a large casserole dish.   Can refrigerate up to five days in advance.  If refrigerating, let cool before covering and placing in refrigerator.

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Cover, and bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven.

 

I, after mashing by hand, use a hand held mixer to blend in all the creamy items.

 

2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Family, Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

22 November 2010

Faith is Not …

By Nicki

I am just now reading Ronna Detrick‘s e-newsletter and, as always, she has me thinking.  She has me thinking about faith and what it is and, definitely more importantly, what it is not.

 

Faith is not going to church or worship every week.  This act may be inspired by your faith in a higher being but more than likely, it is inspired by childhood guilt, parental guilt or some other force.  I have been the – pardon the intended pun – religious church goer, never missing a Sunday.  I have been the not-so-religious church goer, letting my life take me to commune with God while hiking or running or hunting.  I know that neither says I have faith unless there is a belief in the act in something that is not there physically with me at the time.

 

Faith is not being a _________ (you fill in the blank) – Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Christian.  Faith goes beyond the labels of a particular religion or religious point of view.  Faith goes to knowing that there is something, someone there when all else fails – a safety net of sorts.  Faith does not go to a certain denomination church or non-denominational church.  See, this makes me happy because I am not a label person.  I hate having to label almost anything, including my faith.

 

Faith is belief – belief in yourself, belief in others, belief in goodness, belief in God or a higher being, belief in just about any and everything in our world.  Faith is hard to put in words because faith is personal.  My faith is different from your faith.  Your faith is different from your child’s faith.

 

What is faith to you?  Or, almost as importantly, what is faith not to you?

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts, Religion

20 November 2010

Today

By Nicki

Today is the first day of deer hunting in the southern region of NY if using a firearm.  Bow season started about a month ago.  How do I know? Am I currently bundling up and heading out to a tree stand?  Not that I have not done so in the past, but no, I am getting myself geared up for a 12 mile run.  I awoke today to the sound, not of my neighbor having target practice – a loud close shooting noise – but of a distant shot that told me someone was hunting in the area and has seen a deer.  I decided if it was light enough to be hunting already, it was time to drag myself out of bed.

 

Ah, have I stirred an interest in me hunting?  Once.  I went hunting once.  I did it for the guy I was dating.  We went to college in a very rural area of the Adirondacks.  We were both majoring in forestry and had taken wildlife management classes.  We knew the reasons for hunting and controlling the population of deer.  I was not convinced that hunting was my thing but Glenn asked if I would go hunting with him.  He had a rifle at school and his parents would bring an additional one up when visiting for me to use.  I just had to take a hunter safety course to be able to get my permit.

 

First, at 20, I was by far the oldest person in the hunter safety class.  It was filled with 12 year olds and maybe a couple actual teenagers.  The course itself was easy.  There was a written test.  Then, there was the shooting.  I was handed a .22 and told to shoot the 9×12 paper that was probably 50 feet away.  All the little kids had done it.  Some right in the center, some off to the edge.  I sighted and shot.  Oops! I missed the paper.  I was given three shots where everyone else got one.  I think I heard the instructor muttering something about the deer being safe.

 

The story of that first and only hunting trip will hold for another morning that I am woken by shots.

 

Do you hunt? Does your significant other?  Do you eat game such as venison?

3 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Just my Thoughts

15 November 2010

Happy Birthday to …

By Nicki

… my blog!

 

I know that recently I have been more miss than hit on writing.  Trust me, I know.  I have all these thoughts going around in my head and just need to find time to get them out on the blog.  In the mean time, I just want to say “Happy Birthday” to my blog.  My first blog post was five years ago today.  I started out blogging at Yahoo!  I have since managed to import all those blogs to this site.  I use to have an actual web site also but now that is gone so it is just my blog and me and all of you.

 

So, have a piece of cake and enjoy your Monday!!

Happy Birthday Cake

11 comments   |  tags: | posted in Just my Thoughts

11 November 2010

Veteran’s Day 2010

By Nicki

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1 comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Just my Thoughts

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