working out for Disney

[Sans Souci]

Happy Friday.

I did a restorative yoga class. It was a lot of stretching and some deeper core work. It was more of a recovery workout. It would have been a good class to do on a Sunday before bed, because it was stretchy and relaxing.

I started making banana bread yesterday afternoon, before I did anything, I preheated the oven. After about 10 min, I noticed that it was still at 100. It was acting dodgy since Monday. The oven came with the house, so my husband just thought it was best to bite the bullet and just buy a new one. The one I really wanted could not be delivered and installed until 12/23. That's too close for comfort for me. I'm doing a lot of baking during that time. So, we found one that is more basic, but gets the job done and that will be here next Friday. The good news is the burners and broiler still work. We have lots of other things to cook with--crock pot, Instant Pot, an air fryer, a pizza machine and it's only for a week. I was going to bake my birthday cake this weekend and I had been looking forward to it--a cannoli cake, but I'll just make it for New Year's Eve. There's a mom and pop Italian bakery down the street from me. I'll see what they have. They might even have a cannoli cake.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Hoping that your cold gets over with soon. This is such a busy holiday season, and no time for that!

Happy Hanukkah!

That's so nice you and your fellow employees were able to fulfill the wish lists of those kids. It's especially nice you got to see the kids in person and enjoying themselves.

I hope you're feeling better soon. If you don't have energy to bike tonight, it's ok. Your health comes first and you don't want to put more stress on your immune system.

Thanks! Yeah, I wasn't up for it last night either. As @MinnieM123 pointed out, it's just too busy for me during the holidays to have time for this. I was feeling really drained after some after-work errands, but K had her big holiday concert last night. I worked the door for about 45 minutes prepping the ornament sale display and handed out programs/fundraiser flyers. I probably should have jumped into bed when I got home (after picking up food from the fundraiser) but I wanted to test out the lights on the fresh tree. Long story short, I was at Lowe's around 6:30 this morning (after getting breakfast for the school softball team). I got some discounted lights and then went home to try and get the new ones on the tree...which decided to be uncooperative in its base and is now resting partially on the couch.

Real question- does wrestling a 6-7' tree for 30+ minutes count as a workout?

Still not feeling great and had a coughing fit on the phone with a client. Hoping my husband can help me fix the tree so we're all set for tonight.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I started making banana bread yesterday afternoon, before I did anything, I preheated the oven. After about 10 min, I noticed that it was still at 100. It was acting dodgy since Monday. The oven came with the house, so my husband just thought it was best to bite the bullet and just buy a new one. The one I really wanted could not be delivered and installed until 12/23. That's too close for comfort for me.

We went through something like this with our last house while it was up for sale. The oven decided to misbehave after we got an offer. I don't think it would go above 250. A little more useful than only heating to 100, but still a problem. It sounds like you're pretty well set on other cooking options to make do until you get a new one. Cannoli cake sounds amazing!!! Happy birthday!

 

[Sans Souci]

Thanks! Yeah, I wasn't up for it last night either. As @MinnieM123 pointed out, it's just too busy for me during the holidays to have time for this. I was feeling really drained after some after-work errands, but K had her big holiday concert last night. I worked the door for about 45 minutes prepping the ornament sale display and handed out programs/fundraiser flyers. I probably should have jumped into bed when I got home (after picking up food from the fundraiser) but I wanted to test out the lights on the fresh tree. Long story short, I was at Lowe's around 6:30 this morning (after getting breakfast for the school softball team). I got some discounted lights and then went home to try and get the new ones on the tree...which decided to be uncooperative in its base and is now resting partially on the couch.

Real question- does wrestling a 6-7' tree for 30+ minutes count as a workout?

Still not feeling great and had a coughing fit on the phone with a client. Hoping my husband can help me fix the tree so we're all set for tonight.

Did you get your tree up? I hope whatever you have has moved on and you're feeling better.

I totally think wrestling with a large tree is a workout.

There is so much crud going around. It's right on time, since Thanksgiving was two weeks ago. People are getting sick at my husband's job and I am hoping my husband doesn't bring it home. Even though we don't do much at the Holidays, like traveling and loads of parties, I still do other things to get ready for Christmas.

 

[Sans Souci]

We went through something like this with our last house while it was up for sale. The oven decided to misbehave after we got an offer. I don't think it would go above 250. A little more useful than only heating to 100, but still a problem. It sounds like you're pretty well set on other cooking options to make do until you get a new one. Cannoli cake sounds amazing!!! Happy birthday!

Thanks. It's not until next week, but we're celebrating it this weekend, since we're all in the same place. It's big one, too.

That is so frustrating! The temp thing is what was happening to me on Monday, I could not get it to go up to 425. It stopped at 400. I just cooked the food a little longer. But that's not happening when the oven never ignites, like it did on Thursday. My husband wanted to completely renovate the kitchen towards the end of next year, so we were trying to hang on to the current oven. I was looking at getting an oven that is (I don't know the proper term for this type of oven), tall and built into the wall and then put the range onto the kitchen island. But this new oven is functional and was on sale, as long as I can cook dinner and bake cookies, I am good. lol

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning.

Checking in with some yoga. I am hoping to get out for a walk today, since tomorrow is supposed to be stormy and nasty.

I hadn't seen the cat since Tuesday and she reappeared at the back door about 9 last night. I don't think she was eating while she was gone. I gave her dry food with a puree on top and she demolished that. Then my husband opened a can of tuna and put some of that on top of some more dry food. My brother had a board game called "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" when we were kids and watching her eat reminded me of the way the hippos would scarf up the marbles.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning

Checking in with a yoga practice. I am hoping to get out for a walk, but it's raining pretty heavily. I went for a walk in the rain yesterday, but it was a light rain and it was in the low 60s. Today is colder with heavy rain, so I probably won't get out.

I got a really good cake on Sat. It was a casata cake, so it was pretty similar to the cannoli cake I was going to bake. It was sponge cake soaked in amaretto and filled with ricotta and chocolate chips. I would get it again. I was pretty big and I don't think there is much of it left.

We went out for dinner last night, too. It was my first birthday meal in a restaurant since 2019. lol We had a really good server who was comped us a few things, even though I told him it wasn't necessary.

There's an organization called "Lasagna Love" that is a bunch of people who volunteer to make and deliver a lasagna for a family who requests one--there are no questions asked. I signed up to make a lasagna a month. I have my food grade gloves and hair nets ready to go. lol I will see how it goes and maybe increase the frequency of my lasagna making. I told them I could make traditional lasagnas, vegetarian lasagnas and vegan lasagnas. There are options for dairy free and gluten free, too. Once I get the lay of the land with this process, I'll branch out into those dietary needs.

Stay warm and dry!

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello

Checking in with some yoga. It was pretty fun. I am up at my husband's apartment. He asked me to come along this week, he wanted to give me my birthday present in person. Thankfully, it's his last week working in Manhattan until the new year. He'll work from home next week instead. I am here until Friday morning. He offered to bring me home tomorrow, but he has his work party on Thursday. He was going to Uber into Philly and take the train up and down on the same day. That's a lot of unnecessary stress, so I said I'll just stay here. I brought a lot of things to do to keep me busy.

 

[MinnieM123]

Hello

Checking in with some yoga. It was pretty fun. I am up at my husband's apartment. He asked me to come along this week, he wanted to give me my birthday present in person. Thankfully, it's his last week working in Manhattan until the new year. He'll work from home next week instead. I am here until Friday morning. He offered to bring me home tomorrow, but he has his work party on Thursday. He was going to Uber into Philly and take the train up and down on the same day. That's a lot of unnecessary stress, so I said I'll just stay here. I brought a lot of things to do to keep me busy.

Enjoy your birthday celebration in Manhattan!

 

[Figgy1]

@Sans Souci

enjoy your time in the city

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello--

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I am actually in Jersey City, not Manhattan. My husband rents an apartment in JC and takes a ferry to work across the river. It's crazy, but I actually sleep better here than at home. It is much more quiet here. I live on a busy-ish street, so that wakes me up sometimes.

I had a good b-day. I found this mom and pop Mexican restaurant and got some delivery. We started watching Murders of the Flower Moon, but it is 3 hrs and 26 min, so we didn't finish it. It's kind of heavy, so I needed a break, anyway. It's very good. Leonardo DiCaprio is great in this. I am going to finish it later on.

I did some yoga today. I like the music and I like these practices aren't too much on the shoulders. When I do a lot of yoga, my right shoulder starts getting achy. I just wish she'd give more time to get into a pose before moving on.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello

Checking in with some yoga. I finished that movie last night. I think I will read the book, too.

I got matched with a family to make and deliver a lasagna. I'm pretty excited. lol It's only a 5 min drive, which is even better. I was going to bake some brownies, too. It is a single mom who is disabled and her three kids. It's Christmas, so why not make an extra batch of cookies/brownies? I am going to be baking this weekend, anyway.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

Checking in with yoga--yesterday and this morning. I went for a walk, too since it is mild out. We're supposed to get loads of rain tomorrow and Monday, so I thought I'd get outdoors while I could.

I made the lasagna today for the family that was matched to me. It's 5 layers with lots of ricotta and lean ground beef. I used a 32 oz container of ricotta. I was thinking they could get a couple of meals out of it if it is served with a salad/veggies. It weighs 4-5 lbs. I made brownies, too. I am going to drop them off in an hour or two. I hope they like my lasagna.

Nothing else going on, other than plans to find a Christmas movie later on and perhaps enjoy an adult beverage while I watch it.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Hello-

Checking in with yoga--yesterday and this morning. I went for a walk, too since it is mild out. We're supposed to get loads of rain tomorrow and Monday, so I thought I'd get outdoors while I could.

I made the lasagna today for the family that was matched to me. It's 5 layers with lots of ricotta and lean ground beef. I used a 32 oz container of ricotta. I was thinking they could get a couple of meals out of it if it is served with a salad/veggies. It weighs 4-5 lbs. I made brownies, too. I am going to drop them off in an hour or two. I hope they like my lasagna.

Nothing else going on, other than plans to find a Christmas movie later on and perhaps enjoy an adult beverage while I watch it.

That lasagna sounds delicious!

 

[Sans Souci]

That lasagna sounds delicious!

She told me she was going to serve it for Christmas dinner for herself and her kids. I really hope they like it. I did scale back on the seasonings when I saw she had three kids on her contact info. We're supposed to drop the lasagna off at their front door and text them when we've done that. She asked me if she could come out to say hi. I really didn't want to because I have social anxiety, but I did anyway. I am going to look at buying lasagna ingredients in bulk, so we deliver more lasagnas. I make my sauce in the Instant Pot and I use no cook lasagna sheets, so I can get a lasagna ready for the oven in under an hour. I am not doing anything else with my time anyway and I feel useful.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning-

It's pretty gloomy and rainy here today, but at least it is not snow. I did a pretty mellow yoga practice this AM. I think I might do shorter and spicier workouts as the week progresses. I've some stuff to get done before Christmas.

I got an email from the organization that I make and deliver the lasagnas for. They informed me that it costs $5/month to match a family to a lasagna maker and they'd like it if I donated that per month. The email also said that most of their financial donations came from the lasagna makers themselves. I was kind of deflated. I felt like the time and money I spent to make a monster lasagna is not enough? Don't get me wrong, I am happy to do that. I feel grateful that I have the means to do so. We donate money to our local food bank on a monthly basis and that's nice, but making a lasagna and delivering it to a family makes me feel I am doing something tangible. Maybe I am making a big deal about this, but I have done a bit of volunteering in my time and I have never been asked to donate money to defray costs of running the organization. This is just my opinion, but I think they should be tapping into corporate philanthropy for this. I used to write grants for non-profits and it's honestly not difficult to learn how to do it. This is the reality if you are going to run a non-profit. Then when they sent the email, it started with "Hello, ( insert first name)!" Like, you're going to ask me for money and you can't make the effort to use my first name? My husband told me to ignore it and keep making the lasagnas. I don't know.

 

[MinnieM123]

Good morning-

It's pretty gloomy and rainy here today, but at least it is not snow. I did a pretty mellow yoga practice this AM. I think I might do shorter and spicier workouts as the week progresses. I've some stuff to get done before Christmas.

I got an email from the organization that I make and deliver the lasagnas for. They informed me that it costs $5/month to match a family to a lasagna maker and they'd like it if I donated that per month. The email also said that most of their financial donations came from the lasagna makers themselves. I was kind of deflated. I felt like the time and money I spent to make a monster lasagna is not enough? Don't get me wrong, I am happy to do that. I feel grateful that I have the means to do so. We donate money to our local food bank on a monthly basis and that's nice, but making a lasagna and delivering it to a family makes me feel I am doing something tangible. Maybe I am making a big deal about this, but I have done a bit of volunteering in my time and I have never been asked to donate money to defray costs of running the organization. This is just my opinion, but I think they should be tapping into corporate philanthropy for this. I used to write grants for non-profits and it's honestly not difficult to learn how to do it. This is the reality if you are going to run a non-profit. Then when they sent the email, it started with "Hello, ( insert first name)!" Like, you're going to ask me for money and you can't make the effort to use my first name? My husband told me to ignore it and keep making the lasagnas. I don't know.

Do what you think is right. I don't think they should charge you or other cooks, $5.00 a month, on top of the ingredients you buy, and take your own personal time to cook. Doesn't sit well with me at all, but that's my opinion only.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Good morning-

It's pretty gloomy and rainy here today, but at least it is not snow. I did a pretty mellow yoga practice this AM. I think I might do shorter and spicier workouts as the week progresses. I've some stuff to get done before Christmas.

I got an email from the organization that I make and deliver the lasagnas for. They informed me that it costs $5/month to match a family to a lasagna maker and they'd like it if I donated that per month. The email also said that most of their financial donations came from the lasagna makers themselves. I was kind of deflated. I felt like the time and money I spent to make a monster lasagna is not enough? Don't get me wrong, I am happy to do that. I feel grateful that I have the means to do so. We donate money to our local food bank on a monthly basis and that's nice, but making a lasagna and delivering it to a family makes me feel I am doing something tangible. Maybe I am making a big deal about this, but I have done a bit of volunteering in my time and I have never been asked to donate money to defray costs of running the organization. This is just my opinion, but I think they should be tapping into corporate philanthropy for this. I used to write grants for non-profits and it's honestly not difficult to learn how to do it. This is the reality if you are going to run a non-profit. Then when they sent the email, it started with "Hello, ( insert first name)!" Like, you're going to ask me for money and you can't make the effort to use my first name? My husband told me to ignore it and keep making the lasagnas. I don't know.

Seems strange that they would charge that $5. Seems like an unnecessary price when you are already donating lasagna and fixings. It seems like matching a family to a maker would just be someone’s job in that organization.

I wouldn’t pay it, and if they press you for more just tell them you will be taking the money from the lasagna and donate it to another organization or increase your food bank donation.

 

[Sans Souci]

Do what you think is right. I don't think they should charge you or other cooks, $5.00 a month, on top of the ingredients you buy, and take your own personal time to cook. Doesn't sit well with me at all, but that's my opinion only.

I was wondering if I was being too cheap or making a fuss over nothing. I was really deflated when I got that email because it made me feel like my effort wasn't enough. I didn't cheap out when I made the lasagna, either. I bought the same exact brands/ingredients for that lasagna as I do when I make it for my family. It upset me because after my husband and I dropped off the lasagna, we were discussing how we could purchase ingredients in bulk so I can contribute more frequently. Once the holidays are out of the way, I am going to check out Costco and see what I can get there.

 

[Sans Souci]

Seems strange that they would charge that $5. Seems like an unnecessary price when you are already donating lasagna and fixings. It seems like matching a family to a maker would just be someone’s job in that organization.

I wouldn’t pay it, and if they press you for more just tell them you will be taking the money from the lasagna and donate it to another organization or increase your food bank donation.

This is basically what my husband said. He said keep on making lasagnas and if they pressure me for money, tell them thanks for the opportunity to help others, but that I will take that money and give it to the food bank.

It's just tacky to me. I used to be a hospice volunteer. Nobody asked me for money to match me with a hospice patient and I even attended training on their dime.