Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
09 January 2010
Groovy News
Sorry I haven't been here in a while. I've been rather tied up. No, seriously - maybe you read about it in the AP release:
15 February 2009
Some Groovy Romance
Here it is. The late breaking Valentine's news from Groovy.
Because I know your life won't be complete unless you know how my Valentine's Day went.
First of all, our pastor decided to show this video in church last Sunday as a "public service announcement" to all our menfolk.
Because my husband refuses to be manipulated by the media and by commercialism, he absolutely did NOT buy me any jewelry from J.C Penny's for Valentine's Day.
No, he bought it and gave it to me on February 11th. Which, as you can totally see, had NOTHING to do with his viewing of the aforeposted video. Nothing. at. all.
What did he give me? Some lovely sterling silver earrings. See?
They're pretty and they're sparkly and they're dangly - all the things Groovy likes in an earring!
Mulletman didn't forget the girls either. He got them each a lovely silver cross with footprints on it and they were accompnied by a copy of the Footprints poem. Then he took us all out for a nice lunch and (unheard of!) we all had dessert!
The girls and I weren't remiss either. With their help I made one of Mulletman's favorite desserts - this lovely Boston Cream Pie:
I also gave him one big, mushy card and then hid 32 individual "Hello Kitty" valentine cards all over the house and car and garage. He still hasn't found them all!
:-D
On Valentine's day itself, Mulletman had to work. Besides that, his dad had a bad spell following gall bladder surgery and was taken to the hospital. (Fortunately, he's doing much better now and is back home.) Nonetheless, the girls and I had a nice day. In the morning we picked up Gramma and went to the local Chocolate Festival where we scored much chocolate and this adorable homemade apron for only $7!!
The girls found cute little outfits for their teddy bears too.
After the festival we ate lunch out. Then it was party time. We went over to EarlyBird's house for the first annual Bluebird Pond 4-H Valentine Party. There were crafts, there games, there was food, there was laughter, and there were Valentines. It was a very fun and festive fete!
After that we stopped by Goat-Lady's house to drop off some Valentines. We hadn't been there for a looooong time, so we ended up staying and visiting and petting goat babies (so cute!) and getting all caught up. It was awesome!
By the time we got home we were exhausted, but it was worth it all! I think, excepting Grampy's emergency run, it was a very satisfying celebration!
*****************************************
Because I know your life won't be complete unless you know how my Valentine's Day went.
First of all, our pastor decided to show this video in church last Sunday as a "public service announcement" to all our menfolk.
Because my husband refuses to be manipulated by the media and by commercialism, he absolutely did NOT buy me any jewelry from J.C Penny's for Valentine's Day.
No, he bought it and gave it to me on February 11th. Which, as you can totally see, had NOTHING to do with his viewing of the aforeposted video. Nothing. at. all.
What did he give me? Some lovely sterling silver earrings. See?
They're pretty and they're sparkly and they're dangly - all the things Groovy likes in an earring!
Mulletman didn't forget the girls either. He got them each a lovely silver cross with footprints on it and they were accompnied by a copy of the Footprints poem. Then he took us all out for a nice lunch and (unheard of!) we all had dessert!
The girls and I weren't remiss either. With their help I made one of Mulletman's favorite desserts - this lovely Boston Cream Pie:
I also gave him one big, mushy card and then hid 32 individual "Hello Kitty" valentine cards all over the house and car and garage. He still hasn't found them all!
:-D
On Valentine's day itself, Mulletman had to work. Besides that, his dad had a bad spell following gall bladder surgery and was taken to the hospital. (Fortunately, he's doing much better now and is back home.) Nonetheless, the girls and I had a nice day. In the morning we picked up Gramma and went to the local Chocolate Festival where we scored much chocolate and this adorable homemade apron for only $7!!
The girls found cute little outfits for their teddy bears too.
After the festival we ate lunch out. Then it was party time. We went over to EarlyBird's house for the first annual Bluebird Pond 4-H Valentine Party. There were crafts, there games, there was food, there was laughter, and there were Valentines. It was a very fun and festive fete!
After that we stopped by Goat-Lady's house to drop off some Valentines. We hadn't been there for a looooong time, so we ended up staying and visiting and petting goat babies (so cute!) and getting all caught up. It was awesome!
By the time we got home we were exhausted, but it was worth it all! I think, excepting Grampy's emergency run, it was a very satisfying celebration!
*****************************************
11 February 2009
Why Groovy Hates Sewing
Oh well. It'll be capri weather in Maine in another 8
At least the chocolate studies were good...
10 February 2009
In Which Groovy Embarks on Serious Study
Yes, that's right. I have realized that the girls and I have been a little slack in our schooling, so this afternoon is fully devoted to an intense, academic, and scientific study of...........
CHOCOLATE!
You think I'm kidding, don't you? No way! We found this awesome book at the library:
So now we are reading about the origin of chocolate, the processing of chocolate, the different types of chocolate, and the health benefits of chocolate and more.
Then, of course, we will have the taste testing so we can completely experience chocolate: unsweetened, semisweet, bittersweet, sweet, dark, extra dark, drinkable, cocoa powder, and with mint. See?
Then we may throw in some home-economics by following some chocolate recipes as well - maybe some brownies and fudge sauce and cookies and cake and frosting and, And, AND..............
HELP, SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!!!!!!!!!
:-D
Ya gotta love homeschooling!
(Next week? VANILLA!!!! and then STRAWBERRY! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!)
**************************************
CHOCOLATE!
You think I'm kidding, don't you? No way! We found this awesome book at the library:
So now we are reading about the origin of chocolate, the processing of chocolate, the different types of chocolate, and the health benefits of chocolate and more.
Then, of course, we will have the taste testing so we can completely experience chocolate: unsweetened, semisweet, bittersweet, sweet, dark, extra dark, drinkable, cocoa powder, and with mint. See?
Then we may throw in some home-economics by following some chocolate recipes as well - maybe some brownies and fudge sauce and cookies and cake and frosting and, And, AND..............
HELP, SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!!!!!!!!!
:-D
Ya gotta love homeschooling!
(Next week? VANILLA!!!! and then STRAWBERRY! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!)
**************************************
17 January 2009
A New, Revolutionary Exercise That Can Help Anyone - Even You - Burn Hundreds of Calories Every Single Day With Virtually No Perceived Effort!
...and you get to hear about HERE on Groovy's blog first.
So get out your pen and paper and prepare to be amazed.
Step One: (and this IS definitely the most important step): Find a treadmill. Your treadmill doesn't have to be state of the art, but it should be electric and have readouts for mileage, mph, and calories burned. Bonus points if it is located in your own home. Research indicates that this power burn I'm talking about is most easily achieved at home as opposed to a gym.
Step Two: Dress in some stylish workout gear. It's easier to sweat it out when you look snazzy. I wear my nifty, lined pink and black wind pants and a long-sleeved fuschia t-shirt with a matching bandana rakishly tied about my forehead. Women should be sure to wear a sport bra underneath to prevent uncomfortable bouncing.
Step Three: Set aside some time for your workout. Experts recommend between 20 minutes and an hour.
Step Four: March in place and gently swing your arms for a few moments to warm up.
Step Five: Now it's time to get started. Turn your treadmill on to the lowest setting and carefully start walking. As you get comfortable with the pace, turn up the speed a little bit.
Step Six: As soon as you start to sweat, step off the treadmill but - and here's the secret - leave it running. In fact, at this point, you can crank that baby up on HIGH and really let it rip...
Step Seven: Go to the restroom (if you're my age you will NEED to go to the restroom!), make a couple phone calls, check a couple of blogs.
Step Eight: Head back to the treadmill. Turn it back down to LOW and step on. Make sure you take at least five full minutes to walk at this slower pace to cool down.
Step Nine: Note the number of calories burned. It should be somewhere in the vicintiy of 2,000 calories, depending on how long you worked-out.
Step Ten: Go eat some chocolate. You deserve it after all that hard work!
So get out your pen and paper and prepare to be amazed.
Step One: (and this IS definitely the most important step): Find a treadmill. Your treadmill doesn't have to be state of the art, but it should be electric and have readouts for mileage, mph, and calories burned. Bonus points if it is located in your own home. Research indicates that this power burn I'm talking about is most easily achieved at home as opposed to a gym.
Step Two: Dress in some stylish workout gear. It's easier to sweat it out when you look snazzy. I wear my nifty, lined pink and black wind pants and a long-sleeved fuschia t-shirt with a matching bandana rakishly tied about my forehead. Women should be sure to wear a sport bra underneath to prevent uncomfortable bouncing.
Step Three: Set aside some time for your workout. Experts recommend between 20 minutes and an hour.
Step Four: March in place and gently swing your arms for a few moments to warm up.
Step Five: Now it's time to get started. Turn your treadmill on to the lowest setting and carefully start walking. As you get comfortable with the pace, turn up the speed a little bit.
Step Six: As soon as you start to sweat, step off the treadmill but - and here's the secret - leave it running. In fact, at this point, you can crank that baby up on HIGH and really let it rip...
Step Seven: Go to the restroom (if you're my age you will NEED to go to the restroom!), make a couple phone calls, check a couple of blogs.
Step Eight: Head back to the treadmill. Turn it back down to LOW and step on. Make sure you take at least five full minutes to walk at this slower pace to cool down.
Step Nine: Note the number of calories burned. It should be somewhere in the vicintiy of 2,000 calories, depending on how long you worked-out.
Step Ten: Go eat some chocolate. You deserve it after all that hard work!
22 May 2008
Hurry up and Read This 'Cause Groovy Wrote it Fast
Hi.
I only have a couple minutes before I'm off to take my mom in for a joint replacement in her left hand. Ugh! Poor woman! Nonetheless, she is excited because once the lengthy recovery period is over she should be actually able to, you know, USE her hand and all!
Mulletman has agreed to buy me a new bike. A LIGHTER bike. A sleeker bike. A FANCY bike. Mine is old. It is heavy. It is a true-blue mountain bike - which I am riding on the road. It is making me work REALLY hard and I am getting discouraged (and sore). I genuinely think I am going to hate it after sixty miles (Let's not even discuss 180!) Yesterday we looked at several bikes that are VERY encouraging! :-D
Funsocksgirl may have found the perfectest job in the world. Whoo-hoo!
Sugar-free chocolate is tasty, but doesn't carry the same calming goodness of regular chocolate.
I have the best mother-in-law in the world.
My husband has switched gears and is being exreemly kind, supportive , and UNstressedd-out. Can you all join me in a loud HALLELUIAH!
OK...Gotta go.
I only have a couple minutes before I'm off to take my mom in for a joint replacement in her left hand. Ugh! Poor woman! Nonetheless, she is excited because once the lengthy recovery period is over she should be actually able to, you know, USE her hand and all!
Mulletman has agreed to buy me a new bike. A LIGHTER bike. A sleeker bike. A FANCY bike. Mine is old. It is heavy. It is a true-blue mountain bike - which I am riding on the road. It is making me work REALLY hard and I am getting discouraged (and sore). I genuinely think I am going to hate it after sixty miles (Let's not even discuss 180!) Yesterday we looked at several bikes that are VERY encouraging! :-D
Funsocksgirl may have found the perfectest job in the world. Whoo-hoo!
Sugar-free chocolate is tasty, but doesn't carry the same calming goodness of regular chocolate.
I have the best mother-in-law in the world.
My husband has switched gears and is being exreemly kind, supportive , and UNstressedd-out. Can you all join me in a loud HALLELUIAH!
OK...Gotta go.
14 January 2008
On The Lighter Side
As my regular readers know, I have been having a real struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder this winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D. for short) is an ailment whereby the patient is ticked off because she can't affect the amount of sunlight avaiable in the winter months of the Northern hemisphere. Needless to say, if she could affect the amount of sunlight, there would be much more of it!
As it is, here in central Maine, the sun comes up over the horizon around 7am and it's dark by 4:30 pm. I am SO glad that I do not live even further north, because the days are even shorter and because then I would be in Quebec and my French is atrocious at best. However, if I did live in Quebec, I would definitely live in old Quebec City - probably in the basement of Le Chateau Frontenac because I'm sure we couldn't afford housing in the old city. Mulletman and I would make our living strolling the streets and singing/playing guitar for our supper. Naturally we would continue to homeschool.
Um...What was I talking about? Oh yes, S.A.D. The symptoms of S.A.D. include depression, hopelessness, the desire to sleep too much, cravings for excess carbs, lack of energy, lack of motivation, difficulty completing tasks, and an inability to find enough chocolate to make it all better. Some folks even get suicidal, but I think they all live in Quebec.
I had all the symptoms except the suicideal tendencies. I told one friend about it and she seemed totally shocked. "You don't SOUND depressed," said she. I reminded her that I am an actress and I am a sanguine. Sanguines compartmentalize quite well and can buoy up into a bubbly fountain of cheer even in the midst of darkness, at least they can in short spurts. But once they are off the stage (either literally or figuritively) they melt into self-focused, teary, unproductive messes.
So I did a bunch of research (ie. I read info on 2-3 websites) and made some interesting discoveries. One is that my PLME (Polymorphous Light Eruption) and my S.A.D. are probably related. Mulletman and my FIL, as well as my MIL and my BIL are all related too, but that's another story entirely.
The PLME started 2 summers ago. If I was out in the sun for any length of time, I broke out in a nasty, itchy, yucky, stupid rash wherever my skin had been exposed. Some folks call it a sun allergy, though that's not strictly true. This meant that Groovy had to do some serious covering up to go outside which, in turn, means Groovy made virtually no natural vitamin D. This was/is a major bummer because Groovy likes to ride her bike OUTSIDE (Can you imagine?) and she likes to hike and garden. Now she could only do those things, in the SUMMER mind you, whilst wearing pants, long sleeves, tons of sunscreen, and big ugly hats. Yes, Maine is cold in the winter, but - and I know this comes as a shock to you folks from away - it gets quite hot and humid in the summer.
How comfy and festive. (I'm not complaining here, just reporting.)
(Well, OK, I AM complaining just a little!)
So, no sun in the summer. And then, no sun in the winter. That's enough to make ANYONE SAD!
Now I'm making a 3-pronged attack on the S.A.D.: I take St. John's Wort from October through March, I am now taking supplemental D3, and last week we bought a $250 Therapy Light.
Each morning, shortly after I rise, I sit in front of the light for 20-30 minutes for my Light Therapy. It's slightly above my eye level and it gives off 10,000 lux of joy and happiness and energy. While I'm sitting I either read or work on the computer. The first couple of days it just seemed to make me agitated, but after that I noticed the agitation went away. After only 9 days I am waking up easily and fairly clear-headed. I'm not falling into the horrible slump of doom after lunch. (Though I am occasionally falling off of ladders!) I have considerably more energy and more motivation to start and complete tasks, I'm much better able to keep up with the girlies and their schoolwork and housework and writing. I am noticeably more cheerful! I'm not wanting to crawl into bed at 8pm. I'm not teary all the time and I'm finding it easier to NOT be self-focused. I'm not glaring at the phone every time it rings.
Folks, what I'm saying is, THE LIGHT, SHE WORKS!
Now I have to work on my other health theory. I've been taking St. John's Wort, like I said, from October through March every year for the past four years. St. John's Wort can make you sensitive to the sun. What I'm wondering is if the herb has altered my body chemistry so that I am STILL sensitive to the sun in the summer when I am not taking it. If so, then I have started my own vicious cycle: Feel moderate depression in winter, take St. John's Wort. St. John's Wort increases my sun sensitivity in summer, so I finally have to avoid the sun altogether. This in turn decreases my vitamin D and increases my winter depression, necessitating more St. John's Wort and lights that cost way too much money.
Hmmm....Now that the light seems to be helping I may taper off the herb just to see. Maybe I'll substitute chocolate instead!
"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."
Whoa...Is that ME, or what?????
As it is, here in central Maine, the sun comes up over the horizon around 7am and it's dark by 4:30 pm. I am SO glad that I do not live even further north, because the days are even shorter and because then I would be in Quebec and my French is atrocious at best. However, if I did live in Quebec, I would definitely live in old Quebec City - probably in the basement of Le Chateau Frontenac because I'm sure we couldn't afford housing in the old city. Mulletman and I would make our living strolling the streets and singing/playing guitar for our supper. Naturally we would continue to homeschool.
Um...What was I talking about? Oh yes, S.A.D. The symptoms of S.A.D. include depression, hopelessness, the desire to sleep too much, cravings for excess carbs, lack of energy, lack of motivation, difficulty completing tasks, and an inability to find enough chocolate to make it all better. Some folks even get suicidal, but I think they all live in Quebec.
I had all the symptoms except the suicideal tendencies. I told one friend about it and she seemed totally shocked. "You don't SOUND depressed," said she. I reminded her that I am an actress and I am a sanguine. Sanguines compartmentalize quite well and can buoy up into a bubbly fountain of cheer even in the midst of darkness, at least they can in short spurts. But once they are off the stage (either literally or figuritively) they melt into self-focused, teary, unproductive messes.
So I did a bunch of research (ie. I read info on 2-3 websites) and made some interesting discoveries. One is that my PLME (Polymorphous Light Eruption) and my S.A.D. are probably related. Mulletman and my FIL, as well as my MIL and my BIL are all related too, but that's another story entirely.
The PLME started 2 summers ago. If I was out in the sun for any length of time, I broke out in a nasty, itchy, yucky, stupid rash wherever my skin had been exposed. Some folks call it a sun allergy, though that's not strictly true. This meant that Groovy had to do some serious covering up to go outside which, in turn, means Groovy made virtually no natural vitamin D. This was/is a major bummer because Groovy likes to ride her bike OUTSIDE (Can you imagine?) and she likes to hike and garden. Now she could only do those things, in the SUMMER mind you, whilst wearing pants, long sleeves, tons of sunscreen, and big ugly hats. Yes, Maine is cold in the winter, but - and I know this comes as a shock to you folks from away - it gets quite hot and humid in the summer.
How comfy and festive. (I'm not complaining here, just reporting.)
(Well, OK, I AM complaining just a little!)
So, no sun in the summer. And then, no sun in the winter. That's enough to make ANYONE SAD!
Now I'm making a 3-pronged attack on the S.A.D.: I take St. John's Wort from October through March, I am now taking supplemental D3, and last week we bought a $250 Therapy Light.
Each morning, shortly after I rise, I sit in front of the light for 20-30 minutes for my Light Therapy. It's slightly above my eye level and it gives off 10,000 lux of joy and happiness and energy. While I'm sitting I either read or work on the computer. The first couple of days it just seemed to make me agitated, but after that I noticed the agitation went away. After only 9 days I am waking up easily and fairly clear-headed. I'm not falling into the horrible slump of doom after lunch. (Though I am occasionally falling off of ladders!) I have considerably more energy and more motivation to start and complete tasks, I'm much better able to keep up with the girlies and their schoolwork and housework and writing. I am noticeably more cheerful! I'm not wanting to crawl into bed at 8pm. I'm not teary all the time and I'm finding it easier to NOT be self-focused. I'm not glaring at the phone every time it rings.
Folks, what I'm saying is, THE LIGHT, SHE WORKS!
Now I have to work on my other health theory. I've been taking St. John's Wort, like I said, from October through March every year for the past four years. St. John's Wort can make you sensitive to the sun. What I'm wondering is if the herb has altered my body chemistry so that I am STILL sensitive to the sun in the summer when I am not taking it. If so, then I have started my own vicious cycle: Feel moderate depression in winter, take St. John's Wort. St. John's Wort increases my sun sensitivity in summer, so I finally have to avoid the sun altogether. This in turn decreases my vitamin D and increases my winter depression, necessitating more St. John's Wort and lights that cost way too much money.
Hmmm....Now that the light seems to be helping I may taper off the herb just to see. Maybe I'll substitute chocolate instead!
|
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Whoa...Is that ME, or what?????
12 November 2007
Procrastination Perpetuality
Groovy sits down to work on her novel.
Somehow the email program opens instead.
Hello, Sally. Pray for Kit. Gets directed to Xanga.com. Reads Blogger comments. OH a Facebook message!
Speaking of Facebook...plays Scrabulous with Funsocksgirl, returns a message to Bev, thinks up a clever (cough) new note for the top of Groovy's page.
Speaking of Blogger...Came here and started randomly surfing from blog to blog. Groovy reminded herself to not waste time leaving comments. She left comments anyway. Now she feels guilty because she didn't go to everyone's blog and leave comments.
Time for a snack. A low-carb snack for a low energy day. Groovy needs to kick the sugar habit before she bursts out at the seams. Literally.
Throw some clothes in the washer.
Come upstairs and catch a teddy bear trying to steal Silly-Head's hot chocolate: (Waiting for Blogger to upload the picture...)
Sit down to write. Jason and his mom make cookies together after a poignant moment. Except that it's NOT poignant, it's lame. Groovy grumbles at her ineptness and opens Safari.
Time to change to that new Time Warner email address before all Groovy's internet goodies get tossed out into the internetherworld. Groovy downloads and form fills and then realizes she doesn't have the account number. This is becasue even though she pretends to be Robert (Hello, Robert!), she is not. She is clueless Groovy. She does the techy stuff (double cough with a choke thrown in for good measure) but Robert gets the bills next door.
Robert aka Grampy can't find the account number 'cause Grammy is the one who pays and files the bills. Email changes are tabled until she returns from her errand running.
Back to the novel. Wait...did the washer just finish? Groovy switches loads around and says "Here, here!" for James Dobson as he defends himself against evil liberal slanderers.
Gotta feed the girls. Looks at pictures of the girls on the computer. Finds this cute one and decides she needs to post it on her blog: (Waits and WAITS for stupid picture to upload)
Brrrriiiiinnnng. Gotta talk to Gramma J. She's depressed and not feeling well so Groovy talks a looooong time.
Back to Jason. Roadblock. Stupid fingers keep typing incorehent wrods. Too much time retyping. Fixing. Mending. Grousing.
Groovy decides to fill out an insurance mandated health form online that guarantees a $25 gift certificate. The site is down.
Groovy has a headache.
Needs to teach school. Yep.
Opens Blogger and strats typing. Stupid fingers!
Now Groovy is banging her head on the desk because her verb tenses in this post are all mixed up, but she's too distracted to fix them. Stupid verb tenses!
Groovy gets chastised by small fry for using the "S" word so many times in this post. Stupid "S" word!
Gotta wash another load...
Groovy decides in the midst of her dark mood to be generous. Sign up for this Groovy Giveaway. If you win, Groovy will also send you chocolate. Dark, Milk, AND White. This, even though she steadfastly maintains that chocolate and white cannot coexist.
And now Groovy, who should be teaching school and writing a brilliant novel is wondering how her birthday post disappeared. Where did it go?
Somehow the email program opens instead.
Hello, Sally. Pray for Kit. Gets directed to Xanga.com. Reads Blogger comments. OH a Facebook message!
Speaking of Facebook...plays Scrabulous with Funsocksgirl, returns a message to Bev, thinks up a clever (cough) new note for the top of Groovy's page.
Speaking of Blogger...Came here and started randomly surfing from blog to blog. Groovy reminded herself to not waste time leaving comments. She left comments anyway. Now she feels guilty because she didn't go to everyone's blog and leave comments.
Time for a snack. A low-carb snack for a low energy day. Groovy needs to kick the sugar habit before she bursts out at the seams. Literally.
Throw some clothes in the washer.
Come upstairs and catch a teddy bear trying to steal Silly-Head's hot chocolate: (Waiting for Blogger to upload the picture...)
Sit down to write. Jason and his mom make cookies together after a poignant moment. Except that it's NOT poignant, it's lame. Groovy grumbles at her ineptness and opens Safari.
Time to change to that new Time Warner email address before all Groovy's internet goodies get tossed out into the internetherworld. Groovy downloads and form fills and then realizes she doesn't have the account number. This is becasue even though she pretends to be Robert (Hello, Robert!), she is not. She is clueless Groovy. She does the techy stuff (double cough with a choke thrown in for good measure) but Robert gets the bills next door.
Robert aka Grampy can't find the account number 'cause Grammy is the one who pays and files the bills. Email changes are tabled until she returns from her errand running.
Back to the novel. Wait...did the washer just finish? Groovy switches loads around and says "Here, here!" for James Dobson as he defends himself against evil liberal slanderers.
Gotta feed the girls. Looks at pictures of the girls on the computer. Finds this cute one and decides she needs to post it on her blog: (Waits and WAITS for stupid picture to upload)
Brrrriiiiinnnng. Gotta talk to Gramma J. She's depressed and not feeling well so Groovy talks a looooong time.
Back to Jason. Roadblock. Stupid fingers keep typing incorehent wrods. Too much time retyping. Fixing. Mending. Grousing.
Groovy decides to fill out an insurance mandated health form online that guarantees a $25 gift certificate. The site is down.
Groovy has a headache.
Needs to teach school. Yep.
Opens Blogger and strats typing. Stupid fingers!
Now Groovy is banging her head on the desk because her verb tenses in this post are all mixed up, but she's too distracted to fix them. Stupid verb tenses!
Groovy gets chastised by small fry for using the "S" word so many times in this post. Stupid "S" word!
Gotta wash another load...
Groovy decides in the midst of her dark mood to be generous. Sign up for this Groovy Giveaway. If you win, Groovy will also send you chocolate. Dark, Milk, AND White. This, even though she steadfastly maintains that chocolate and white cannot coexist.
And now Groovy, who should be teaching school and writing a brilliant novel is wondering how her birthday post disappeared. Where did it go?
19 July 2007
Oh So Sorry! (X2)
#1: A Million apologies to all of you who think I've been slighting you because I haven't been leaving witty or stunningly clever comments on your blog entries. It's simply because I haven't READ any of your blog entries!!!!
This has been because Mulletman has been home for THREE WEEKS now and he is always looking over my shoulder to see what I am doing and if I am wasting time and why I'm not doing A,B,C instead.
This will soon change. In fact, THIS VERY SATURDAY he will be away, camping and fishing with a friend. God willing, I will spend that morning recovering from VBS, eating chocolate, wearing my favorite undies, AND - JOY OF JOYS - visiting all of you and catching up and typing jocular comments all over the place.
#2: I must also offer my sincerest I'm-not-really-a-non-appreciative-jerk,-I-just-seem-like-one apology to Grandma Dawn and Angel Mama, both of whom were kind enough to select me for special blogging awards about 900 weeks ago. I never properly thanked either one of you. So, from the bottom of my little ole heart:
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will also point out some fellow rockers and blessers some time in the next week or so (God willing), so be prepared. I might pick YOU!
This has been because Mulletman has been home for THREE WEEKS now and he is always looking over my shoulder to see what I am doing and if I am wasting time and why I'm not doing A,B,C instead.
This will soon change. In fact, THIS VERY SATURDAY he will be away, camping and fishing with a friend. God willing, I will spend that morning recovering from VBS, eating chocolate, wearing my favorite undies, AND - JOY OF JOYS - visiting all of you and catching up and typing jocular comments all over the place.
#2: I must also offer my sincerest I'm-not-really-a-non-appreciative-jerk,-I-just-seem-like-one apology to Grandma Dawn and Angel Mama, both of whom were kind enough to select me for special blogging awards about 900 weeks ago. I never properly thanked either one of you. So, from the bottom of my little ole heart:
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will also point out some fellow rockers and blessers some time in the next week or so (God willing), so be prepared. I might pick YOU!
09 February 2007
Chocolate Overload (NOT!)
Last weekend I went to a fabulous women's retreat. Our organizer is the queen of hospitality; She made sure that there was plenty of rich, luscious choclate for everyone. I had been dieting up to that point, but I really needed to let down a bit for the retreat, so I did. So I REALLY did! I needed it after my very stressful and late arrival at the resort.
This little resort was selected because it was:
A) Owned by members of our church
B) Reasonably priced
C) Had (reportedly) fabulous food
D) Had the requisite hot tub, indoor pool, and sauna
E) Was local
It was this last point that caused most of the attendees difficulty. Because it WAS local, none of us consulted maps or asked any questions. We all foolishly assumed that little handwritten map on the back of the brochure would lead us straight to it. We were chumps! Every woman I asked, except for one, got lost on the way to the resort. I, however, took the prize as the most misplaced, displaced, and sad-faced.
Theoretically, I could have left my house and arrived at the camp 22 minutes later. Instead, I was STILL trying to locate the correct blankety-blank back roads over an hour after kissing my hubby and kids good-bye. It was dark and I couldn't read the blankety-blank roadsigns (when there WERE road signs) and I was running low on gas and I was, in case you couldn't tell, developing a very ugly attitude. This was most unfortunate because I was supposed to be speaking to these women the next day!
Finally, I found the right road. It was pitch black, hilly and twisty, and only sort-of plowed. Lovely. I was looking desperately for the house number - #96 - but I couldn't read ANY of the numbers, even with my high beams. Fortunately I was driving slowly because quite suddenly my way was barred by a rope slung across the road and the words PRIVATE PROPERTY and a number - #99. I had passed the balnkety-blank resort!
Muttering under my breath and trying to pray through my irritation (not very successfully, I might add), I tried to back up to turn around. The front of my van got caught in the unplowed snow and slung the front end sideways so that I was facing down an unplowed dirt road in the wrong direction. Attempts to back out were futile; I was stuck!
I shut off my blankety-blank van, zipped up my blankety-blank coat, and started walking down the blankety-blank road the way I had come. I figured the blankety-blank resort had to be back there somewhere and if I walked long enough I'd find it.
That's when I finally stopped steaming and stewing long enough for God to start talking. With each step He reminded me that He was in control. Most of our days here the past feww weeks have been sub-zero, but this particular night the temps were in the 30's. There was no wind to chill me, and although it had seemed dreadfully dark when I was driving, I could see fine while walking because the moonlight was filtering through the clouds. A snow storm had been predicted, but it had not started yet. In short, I was just fine, so I needed to quit my whining!
The resort ended up being about a mile and half from my van, but I was much calmer by the time I finally got there. The resort dude was very sweet and was able to pull my van out with no trouble at all. So all's well as ends well!
But, even though I had had time to pray and breathe, I was still in need of some TLC. The other women gave me hugs and our hostess gave me chocolate. Oh yes, LOTS of chocolate! And it helped, it really did. Music may soothe the savage beast, but it is chocolate that soothes the savage Groovy!
I ate chocolate in abundance: Chocolate truffles, chocolate cookies with kisses encased inside, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. So that I would not slip into the horrific mode of worshipping the creature instead of the creator, I made a point of continually thanking God for His gracious provision of chocolate!
And for the first time in my entire life I actually hit my chocolate threshold. I did not even know this was possible, but I ate so much excellent chocolate that I literally could not eat one bite more.
But I'm over it now...Oh yes I am. That's why I've answered This Challenge to give you a couple of my favorite recipes for chocolate goodies. May you all enjoy and may you too experience the joy of reaching your chocolate threshold!
*********************************************
Incredible Chocolate Almond Cake
Serves 8-10
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
9 ounces Sweet German chocolate, melted
2 and 1/3 cups ground almonds
4 large eggs, separated
4 ounces white choclate, melted to decorate
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a deep 8 and 1/2 inch springform pan, then line it with wax paper and grease again. It looks especiall pretty if you use a heart-shaped springform pan!
Place 1/2 cup butter and all the sugar in a mixing bowl and beat 'til light and fluffy. Add two-thirds of the sweet chocolate (6 ounces), the almonds and the egg yolks. Beat together until well blended.
Whip the egg whites in a separate clean, dry bowl until stiff (Groovy Tip: Room temp egg whites beat easier and higher than cold ones.) Fold them into the chocolate mixture, then turn the better into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Peel off the wax paper and allow the cake to cool completely.
In the meantime, place the remaining sweet chocolate and butter in a saucepan together. Heat on low and stir constantly until melted and blended well. Now drizzle over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the sides. (Put wax paper under the cooling rack to catch any drips.)
Once that sets, you can use a piping bag (or a strong baggie with the corner snipped off) to top the cake with swirly white chocolate designs.
This is very rich and VERY yummy. Enjoy!
***************************************************
Groovy's Wicked Good Chocolate Cake
1 and 3/4 cups four
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong coffee (instant is fine)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup salad oil
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350º F. Heavily grease either two 9-inch round pans or one 9x13-inch pan.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk the wet ingredients togeher in another bowl. Once they are combined, stir them into the dry ingredients.
Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. (The batter will be quite thin.)
Pour into pan(s). Bake 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan.
Cool in pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on wire racks.
************************************
Wicked Good Dark Chocolate Frosting
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 pound confectioner's sugar
Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (If you try to work with it while it's hot, you will get VERY frustrated, so let it cool completely!)
Add the milk, vanilla, and salt to the sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until thick enough to spread. If you can't get it to thicken up, then put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so (It's worth the wait!).
Fill and frost your wicked good cake.
If you have any frosting left over, hide it from your husband and kids and enjoy it later as delicious fudge!
This little resort was selected because it was:
A) Owned by members of our church
B) Reasonably priced
C) Had (reportedly) fabulous food
D) Had the requisite hot tub, indoor pool, and sauna
E) Was local
It was this last point that caused most of the attendees difficulty. Because it WAS local, none of us consulted maps or asked any questions. We all foolishly assumed that little handwritten map on the back of the brochure would lead us straight to it. We were chumps! Every woman I asked, except for one, got lost on the way to the resort. I, however, took the prize as the most misplaced, displaced, and sad-faced.
Theoretically, I could have left my house and arrived at the camp 22 minutes later. Instead, I was STILL trying to locate the correct blankety-blank back roads over an hour after kissing my hubby and kids good-bye. It was dark and I couldn't read the blankety-blank roadsigns (when there WERE road signs) and I was running low on gas and I was, in case you couldn't tell, developing a very ugly attitude. This was most unfortunate because I was supposed to be speaking to these women the next day!
Finally, I found the right road. It was pitch black, hilly and twisty, and only sort-of plowed. Lovely. I was looking desperately for the house number - #96 - but I couldn't read ANY of the numbers, even with my high beams. Fortunately I was driving slowly because quite suddenly my way was barred by a rope slung across the road and the words PRIVATE PROPERTY and a number - #99. I had passed the balnkety-blank resort!
Muttering under my breath and trying to pray through my irritation (not very successfully, I might add), I tried to back up to turn around. The front of my van got caught in the unplowed snow and slung the front end sideways so that I was facing down an unplowed dirt road in the wrong direction. Attempts to back out were futile; I was stuck!
I shut off my blankety-blank van, zipped up my blankety-blank coat, and started walking down the blankety-blank road the way I had come. I figured the blankety-blank resort had to be back there somewhere and if I walked long enough I'd find it.
That's when I finally stopped steaming and stewing long enough for God to start talking. With each step He reminded me that He was in control. Most of our days here the past feww weeks have been sub-zero, but this particular night the temps were in the 30's. There was no wind to chill me, and although it had seemed dreadfully dark when I was driving, I could see fine while walking because the moonlight was filtering through the clouds. A snow storm had been predicted, but it had not started yet. In short, I was just fine, so I needed to quit my whining!
The resort ended up being about a mile and half from my van, but I was much calmer by the time I finally got there. The resort dude was very sweet and was able to pull my van out with no trouble at all. So all's well as ends well!
But, even though I had had time to pray and breathe, I was still in need of some TLC. The other women gave me hugs and our hostess gave me chocolate. Oh yes, LOTS of chocolate! And it helped, it really did. Music may soothe the savage beast, but it is chocolate that soothes the savage Groovy!
I ate chocolate in abundance: Chocolate truffles, chocolate cookies with kisses encased inside, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. So that I would not slip into the horrific mode of worshipping the creature instead of the creator, I made a point of continually thanking God for His gracious provision of chocolate!
And for the first time in my entire life I actually hit my chocolate threshold. I did not even know this was possible, but I ate so much excellent chocolate that I literally could not eat one bite more.
But I'm over it now...Oh yes I am. That's why I've answered This Challenge to give you a couple of my favorite recipes for chocolate goodies. May you all enjoy and may you too experience the joy of reaching your chocolate threshold!
*********************************************
Incredible Chocolate Almond Cake
Serves 8-10
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
9 ounces Sweet German chocolate, melted
2 and 1/3 cups ground almonds
4 large eggs, separated
4 ounces white choclate, melted to decorate
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a deep 8 and 1/2 inch springform pan, then line it with wax paper and grease again. It looks especiall pretty if you use a heart-shaped springform pan!
Place 1/2 cup butter and all the sugar in a mixing bowl and beat 'til light and fluffy. Add two-thirds of the sweet chocolate (6 ounces), the almonds and the egg yolks. Beat together until well blended.
Whip the egg whites in a separate clean, dry bowl until stiff (Groovy Tip: Room temp egg whites beat easier and higher than cold ones.) Fold them into the chocolate mixture, then turn the better into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Peel off the wax paper and allow the cake to cool completely.
In the meantime, place the remaining sweet chocolate and butter in a saucepan together. Heat on low and stir constantly until melted and blended well. Now drizzle over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the sides. (Put wax paper under the cooling rack to catch any drips.)
Once that sets, you can use a piping bag (or a strong baggie with the corner snipped off) to top the cake with swirly white chocolate designs.
This is very rich and VERY yummy. Enjoy!
***************************************************
Groovy's Wicked Good Chocolate Cake
1 and 3/4 cups four
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong coffee (instant is fine)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup salad oil
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350º F. Heavily grease either two 9-inch round pans or one 9x13-inch pan.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk the wet ingredients togeher in another bowl. Once they are combined, stir them into the dry ingredients.
Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. (The batter will be quite thin.)
Pour into pan(s). Bake 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan.
Cool in pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on wire racks.
************************************
Wicked Good Dark Chocolate Frosting
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 pound confectioner's sugar
Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (If you try to work with it while it's hot, you will get VERY frustrated, so let it cool completely!)
Add the milk, vanilla, and salt to the sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until thick enough to spread. If you can't get it to thicken up, then put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so (It's worth the wait!).
Fill and frost your wicked good cake.
If you have any frosting left over, hide it from your husband and kids and enjoy it later as delicious fudge!
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