Where to Wear: Self-care vs Going There

 

I love a challenge. Not all of them are word games, or number games, or feats of strength or fortitude.

Some are just . . . well . . .

I mentioned Hubs is partially retired, he goes into the office 2 or 3 times a week, the other days he works from home, attends online seminars, and watches sports in his man cave.

One morning when he was mostly not working from home, he came upstairs pretty late in the morning, and I was in the kitchen prepping dinner.

Hubs: You're still in your pajamas.

Me: Yup.

Hubs: Are you sick?

Me: No.

Hubs: Aren't you getting dressed?
Me: Why should I?

Hubs: Why wouldn't you? I assume you have a good reason.

Me: One? That's easy, I . . .

Hubs (interrupting): OK, then give me ten good reasons.

Did that sound like a challenge to you? Sounded like a challenge to me . . .

Ten good reasons to wear your pajamas around the house all day:

1) Comfort. And we all know comfort is self-care.

2) It's a good excuse for not answering the door.

3) If you do answer the door, you're a living deterrent to any salesmen considering a return engagement.

4) Easy bathroom access.

5) Those kids? Keep 'em guessing.

6) Less laundry.

7) Need inspiration for an afternoon nap? You're wearing it.

8) No having to loosen your belt after that (third) snack. 

9) Splatter can't ruin (any more of) your clothes. Not today, green pudding mix, not today. 

 

Pear & Pistachio Bread Bites

 

10) Did I mention comfort? Indulgent, blissful, comfort.

Convinced?

Oh, and just for the record, because I can go above and beyond when it comes to a challenge, ten good reasons not to wear your pajamas out of the house:

1) Look in the mirror.

2) Do you really want to look homeless when you run into your kid's teacher or your husband's boss? You know you will.

3) Look in the mirror.

4) You look like you just left your job, where you and 19 of your coworkers just climbed out of a tiny car for the amusement of the audience.

5) Look in the mirror.

6) Saggy pants + full pockets = indecent exposure arrest. 

7) Look in the mirror.

8) Remember the walk of shame back in your wild youth? Well this is the walk of shame 2.o. Less fun, more shame.

9) Look in the mirror. Put on your glasses and look again.

10) Wearing your pajamas in public is a gateway drug. Let your guard down on this one and the next thing you know, you'll be sitting in your psychiatrist's office in a bikini.

A quick synopsis for those of us who prefer cliff notes: 

Self-care, good. Indecent exposure, bad.

You're welcome.

Pear & Pistachio Bread Bites        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 package Rhodes Texas rolls frozen dough 

2 ripe pears

1 stick butter

1/2 package (about 3 TBSP) pistachio instant pudding mix

        NOTE: seal the rest of the pudding mix in a bag for next time

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup pistachios, shelled, chopped

 

1 TBSP powdered sugar

Directions:
*Place 12 frozen rolls in the refrigerator to thaw (I do it overnight).

*Once the dough has thawed, skin, and core, and chop the pears. Cut each roll into quarters.

*Grease a pan (can use a loaf pan, or bundt pan). Start your oven preheating to warm. Once it reaches 125 degrees, shut it off.

*Melt the butter in a large bowl. Mix in the pudding mix, brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. 

*Mix in the bread quarters, chopped pears, and chopped pistachios until all of the bread is well coated. Arrange evenly in the prepared pan.

*Cover with plastic wrap, put into the warm oven and leave it there for 4 hours. Leaving the pan in the oven, discard the plastic wrap and turn the oven on to 350 degrees. 

*Bake for 35 minutes, it will be brown and bubbly. Allow to sit in the pan for 10 minutes before scooping into a serving bowl.

*Sprinkle with the powdered sugar.

Love and Smoothies: Poetry Monday

 

 

 

Poetry Monday's once a week.

I bet you know which day.

I don't participate every time,

But today I've come out to play.

My friends assign each week a theme,

Frozen Yogurt's, what they chose.

Now it's up to all of us,

to put our thoughts into prose.

 

 

Love and Smoothies

 

Valentine's Day rhyming,

I was all set.

But our theme's frozen yogurt?

So here's what you get . . .

 

Roses are red,

violets are blue.

I like frozen yogurt,

well, don't you? 

Roses are yellow,

and violets are purple.

Frozen yogurt in the blender,

I watch it circle.

 

Violets are lavender,

and roses can be pink.

Frozen yogurt can make,

such a yummy drink.

 

Violets are violet,

and roses are white.

A frozen yogurt smoothie,

for Valentine's night?

Pear Ginger Smoothie

 

Violets are mauve,

roses can be peach.

Made frozen yogurt smoothies,

one for us each.

 

Violets are amethyst,

roses can even be black.

If you don't drink that smoothie,

I may take it back. 

 

 

 

Wait!

Read more poetry, 

you're not through.

Some talented writers

are in this crew:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings 

Mother Owl 

 

 

Pear Ginger Smoothie Smoothie         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

2 cups vanilla yogurt

2 medium sized ripe pears

1/2 cup spinach

1 tsp ginger paste

3 TBSP honey

Directions:

*At least 2 hours before blending, cover a small baking pan (toaster oven size) with a lip so the yogurt doesn't leak out, with parchment paper. Spread the yogurt onto the pan and lay flat in the freezer.

*Peel, core, and chop the pears.

*Clean the spinach and pat dry.
*Once the yogurt is frozen, remove from the parchment paper, chop,and place in a food processor with the chopped pear, spinach, ginger, and honey. Blend, then scrape the sides down, blend, scrape the sides down, and continue until smooth.

 

Gerrymandered Domestic Tranquility: Use Your Words

 

 

 

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s  participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now. 

 

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.

I'm using:  absolute ~ blanket ~ gerrymander ~ steel ~ relief
They were submitted by Diane of On the Border.

 

 

I just want to say, for the record, that this won't be a political post, despite the fact that these words catapult me right into a political mindset.

 

It's not that I don't talk about politics on this blog all the time, you know I do. But I need to lighten it up a bit, for my own sake. 

 

OK, so maybe I just need to get it out of my system, then we'll move on: As we were nearing the midterms, the level of voter suppression (we had an initiative on our ballot in this state that is thinly veiled voter suppression) and gerrymandering became so terrifying, there were days when the news has me feeling like going to bed with a bottle of absolut(e), pulling the blanket over my head, and staying there until Thanksgiving. All members of the cult that the republican party has become belong behind steel bars. I think that day is coming for many of those politicians, and when (if?) right is reestablished over wrong, it will be a relief.

 

Sorry, just felt like that had to be said.

 

Now back to our previously scheduled program . . . a PSA of sorts. About gerrymandering of a different sort, and women's right to control their bodies. And no, I'm not talking politics, I'm talking domestic tranquility. With a little helpful advice to men.

Let me start by saying, no matter what we feel about aging, and how our bodies change, and even some of the ways we can exhibit some level of control over those changes, it is the absolute truth that we're all aging. And as steely as our resolve may be to fight the process, there are some aspects we're going to experience.

So some sage advice to the husbands out there, especially those whose wives do the cooking . . .

 
                       

 

Pear and Feta Bites

. . . there will come a time when you'll notice a redistricting of sorts. In the bedroom. 

 

I'm talking about that dreaded time when women's internal thermometers go on the fritz. You know what I mean (and if you don't yet, you will). It is during that time, in constant search of fleeting relief, that the normal borders of your blanket will be gerrymandered. Redistricted. Continuously. Up, down, up, down, on the bed, off the bed, at the foot of the bed, over your head.  

 

And you have no vote in the matter.

 

So, if you want to keep eating, it is my advice that you allow the rather constant blanket redistricting. Because an exhausted wife benefits no one. So, in support of her, you have a difficult decision to make. Do you want to sleep? Or eat? 

 

 

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

On the Border 

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

Climaxed

Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

Pear and Feta Bites

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 small red pear

3 TBSP shelled pecans

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 TBSP apricot jam

12 wonton wrappers

 

1 TBSP olive oil

Directions:

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the wells of a 12 count mini muffin pan with non stick spray.

*Core, skin, and chop the pair. Place in a mixing bowl.

*Chop the pecans and add to the bowl along with the feta.

*Add the apricot jam and mix well. 

*Gently press the center of each wonton wrapper into each of the 12 mini muffin wells.

*Divide the filling into the center of the wonton wrappers. For each wonton, dip your finger into water, wet all of the wrapper edges, and pinch the edges in to enclose the filling.

*Spray of brush the tops with olive oil

*Bake for 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Bowl Buddies for the Win: Fly on the Wall

 

 Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 3 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.

The worst part of aging, for me, is the problem I sometimes have getting the right words. I can often get it figured out, but if I somehow get the wrong words stuck in my head, it blocks the right one from coming through.

 

College Boy and I were talking about a story about the people who can't get surgeries or even emergency care because unvaccinated people are taking up all of the hospital beds.  

College Boy: They shouldn't let unvaccinated people take up all the beds. They should send them to veterinarians, that's who has the medications they want anyway.

Me: I agree, but, of course, doctors can't do that. It's against the . . . ummm . . . not pythagorean theorem.

College Boy (laughing): You mean Hippocratic Oath.

 

Yes, I did.

Often, when I think of something I need to do and/or have an idea for the blog, it's at a time when I'm indisposed. Most often in the shower, and frequently more than one thought comes to mind. What I've always done is remember a key word for each thing I need to get to later, and just keep those words in my head as prompts. It always works. Well, it always did.

Me: Do the words "towel" and "temperature" mean anything to you?

Hubs: No, why?

Me: I remembered them to remind me of what I wanted to do but now I can't remember what they were supposed to remind me of.

Hubs (laughing): I think you need prompt words for your prompt words.

Oy.

 

 

Hubs and College Boy both like to tease me about my forgetfulness. Normally I can take the joke because it really doesn't happen all that often (despite what you've read here so far), and when it does, I often laugh about it myself.

 

But sometimes I'm just not in the mood for it.

 
College Boy (walking in the house): Hi Mom, what's for dinner?

Me: I forget.

College Boy: You forget?
Me: Well, I'm sure I took something out to make.

College Boy: But you forgot what?
Me (sternly): Actually, I did not forget. And don't you forget it!  

 

Me: I'm trying to think of a dessert recipe to make.

College Boy: How about . . .

Me (interrupting): It's for the blog so it has to be something new. I have some pears I want to use . . .

College Boy: I have an idea.

Me (really excited for the help): Great, what is it.

College Boy: Make a cake . . .

Me (interrupting again): with the pears, or apricots, or?
College Boy: With whatever you want. 

Me: Okay???

College Boy: Go to the bank, take out all of your money, bake it into the cake, and give it to me.

Me (frowning): Damn, I thought you had a serious idea.

College Boy: I did.

 

I've frequently told you of my inability to get College Boy to write me guest posts. He's thoughtful and intelligent and has a unique perspective. No matter how many times I ask though, the answer is always "no."

 

The day after I'd asked for his suggestions for a pear recipe, I was still working through a lot of options in my mind. 

 

Me: I'm still trying to think of a new recipe, I really want to do something with pears.

College Boy: Go to the bank, take out all of your money, bake it into the cake, and give it to me.

Me: I have an idea, why don't you incorporate your recipe into a guest post.

College Boy: I'll write it if you make it.

 

Damn. Foiled again! 

 

 

Pear Mini Pies

We're still ordering a lot of our groceries (the staples) online. For some reason, they've been out of the diet sodas I drink. It's unusual for them to be out of both of them at all, let alone for an extended period of time.

They do, on the site, suggest similar items you can purchase, I've mentioned many of them in past Fly on the Wall posts because they make me laugh, they're frequently nothing like what I'd been attempting to order.

 

This time they got it right, they recommended an item that looked similar. 

 

 

But at that price, this stuff must be shipped directly from the sun. 

Hard pass.

I've mentioned before that I have a land line. I keep it because whenever I have to give out a phone number, I give that one, which keeps the spam calls on my cell phone down to almost none.

When the land line rings, I get up and go look to see who's calling just in case it's either my mom or a prescription ready for pick up. 

Lately I've been getting a lot of calls that are just 3 rings and as I'm about to get to the phone to see who's calling, they hang up. This happened the other day when College Boy was in the kitchen eating breakfast.

Me: That's so annoying, I get up, go over to the phone to see who it is and they hang up just as I'm getting there.

College Boy: It's probably a secret exercise program.

It's not. Right?

 

 

Just like with telemarketers, I hate going into a business and being accosted by sales pitches. 

I had gone into the bank and between the door and the teller, was sidetracked by a financial advisor, trying to explain to me why it was important that I set up an appointment with him to review my financial situation.

 

Although I tried to interrupt a few times, this guy just wasn't having any, and I ended up having to listen to his whole spiel (or be rude, but I hadn't done my business there yet). 

 

He finally took a breath and asked a question:

 

Him: Do you work?
Me: No.

Him: Can I ask what your husband does?
Me: Yes, he's a financial advisor.

And just like that, Mr. Talkative becomes Mr. Dead Silent.

 

Hubs is an understanding-the-logistics guy. I'm a don't-care-just-make-it-work girl. We're opposites and that works in many instances.

 

Hubs bought me a new iPad for my birthday. I was really excited because my old one was really old. Getting new electronics can be frustrating too, though, I want it to just set itself up according to my needs and start working in a way I can understand the minute I get it. Of course, that doesn't happen, quite the opposite, in fact.

 

So I do what I always do, tell Hubs to make it work. He's no techie, but between the two of us, we got it going. The next morning:

 

Hubs: How do you like the new iPad?

Me: Love it.

Hubs: It's so much faster than your old one because . . .

Me (interrupting): Don't need to know.

Hubs: The color is so much better because . . .

Me (interrupting): Don't need to know.

Hubs: If you understood it a little, it might help you do some of the things you're trying to do more easily.

Me: But then what would I need to keep you for?

Hubs: Inspiration for your blog posts?

 

Touche.

 

 

My boys are grown, and I really enjoy interacting with them and conversing with them as the grown adults that they've become. Well, most of the time anyway.

But I'm not going to tell you that I don't miss those little boys, all the fun and laughter and learning and growing and changing and outings and playing. 

The other day I came down to the kitchen to find College Boy was here and about to have breakfast. And what I saw made my nostalgic heart smile:

Bowl Buddies for the win!

 

 

 

Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:

Menopausal Mother 

Wandering Web Designer 

Pear Mini Pies

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (makes 6):
1 refrigerator pie crust

1 TBSP butter

2 TBSP brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 pears, cored, peeled, and chopped

1/4 cup caramel baking bits

1 TBSP sugar

 

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the wells of a 6 well muffin pan.
*Unroll the pie crust and cut out 6 circles, about 3 inches in diameter. Press the dough circles into the wells and up the sides of the muffin pan. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.

*Using a small cookie cutter (can make a cardboard template), in any shape of your choice, cut out 6 smaller pieces of the remaining dough, about 1 inch in diameter each. 

*Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pears. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the caramel bits.

*Divide the pear filling into the prepared crust in the muffin pan. 

*Using a pastry brush and water, lightly wet the top of each of the small shapes of dough and sprinkle them with the 1 TBSP sugar, then place on the top of the mini pies.

*Bake for 25 minutes, until the crust browns. Cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan before gently running a knife around the edges. Cool for another half hour before removing from the pan.