working out for Disney

[Sans Souci]

Good morning.

Checking in with an hour of yoga. It was a traditional yoga class. I wanted more time to get into poses correctly and just do something a little more traditional. The yoga I have been doing is fun and different, but some times I feel like I am missing out because the queuing is a little too fast and she moves into another pose before I feel I've gotten into the first one correctly.

I bought Callie a Christmas present. They are called kicker pillows. They are small, but long pillows filled with cat nip. I am going to wrap it up, stick it under the tree and hope she is around for Christmas. I told her to make sure she shows up for Christmas and I will give her some of our dinner. I am sure she totally understood every word, too. I'm so stupid sometimes.

 

[MinnieM123]

Good morning.

Checking in with an hour of yoga. It was a traditional yoga class. I wanted more time to get into poses correctly and just do something a little more traditional. The yoga I have been doing is fun and different, but some times I feel like I am missing out because the queuing is a little too fast and she moves into another pose before I feel I've gotten into the first one correctly.

I bought Callie a Christmas present. They are called kicker pillows. They are small, but long pillows filled with cat nip. I am going to wrap it up, stick it under the tree and hope she is around for Christmas. I told her to make sure she shows up for Christmas and I will give her some of our dinner. I am sure she totally understood every word, too. I'm so stupid sometimes.

I hope Callie shows up for Christmas, too!

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning-

Since it was freezing this morning, I decided to do some kettlebell and some high intensity cardio for today. I wanted to get sweaty and stoke the furnace.

I bought the ingredients I need to make cookies for Christmas Eve and a chocolate peppermint cheesecake for Christmas Day. I picked 2 different types of cookies to make. One is an almond ricotta bar. When I made my grocery list, I was focused on getting the ingredients. I just pulled up the recipe and it makes 48 bars! I hope these freeze well, because I do not want 48 cookie bars floating around the house tempting me. I am making dark chocolate peppermint cookies, too. I know I can freeze the cookie dough for those, so that's good. I am going to freeze half of these cookies and save them for New Year's Eve. This is the problem when it's just three people for the holidays. I have nobody to send these cookies home with when they leave.

 

[Songbird76]

Sorry I'm late to the discussion, but I think that sounds bogus to charge 5 bucks to donate a lasagna. What is that 5 bucks for? How does it cost 5 bucks to match a family with a lasagna maker? You have a list of people who want lasagna, and you have a list of people who make lasagna. That costs nothing. And when someone is already taking their own time and money to get ingredients and make the lasagna, it's really inappropriate to ask them to donate even more. It just sounds... Almost fraudulent to me. I wouldn't do it. I would tell them if you have to provide all the ingredients and the time, that's all you can do, and if it's a big deal that you don't pay that 5 bucks per lasagna, that you will no longer be able to provide the lasagna either. They can accept what you offer, or they can find someone else to milk. Do you know anyone else who makes the lasagna? Can you ask other volunteers if what they claim is true? Because I just can't imagine that the bakers of the lasagna are paying that fee, if such a fee is even necessary. There might be numerous people who donate money to the organization in lieu of making lasagna. And if you are buying your ingredients yourself, what costs does the organization have? They aren't paying the bakers, they aren't paying for the ingredients... What ARE they paying for? What is it that costs the 5 bucks to match people? Are they paying the people who match up the families with the cooks? And if so, then why aren't they paying the cooks doing the actual work? It just seems fishy to me.

 

[Songbird76]

@HouCuseChickie ,congrats to K on making the choir and on the college acceptances! That's great! It must be stressful waiting to hear from your top choices, etc. I'm so glad it works differently here and we don't have to go through the application and acceptance process.

 

[Sans Souci]

Sorry I'm late to the discussion, but I think that sounds bogus to charge 5 bucks to donate a lasagna. What is that 5 bucks for? How does it cost 5 bucks to match a family with a lasagna maker? You have a list of people who want lasagna, and you have a list of people who make lasagna. That costs nothing. And when someone is already taking their own time and money to get ingredients and make the lasagna, it's really inappropriate to ask them to donate even more. It just sounds... Almost fraudulent to me. I wouldn't do it. I would tell them if you have to provide all the ingredients and the time, that's all you can do, and if it's a big deal that you don't pay that 5 bucks per lasagna, that you will no longer be able to provide the lasagna either. They can accept what you offer, or they can find someone else to milk. Do you know anyone else who makes the lasagna? Can you ask other volunteers if what they claim is true? Because I just can't imagine that the bakers of the lasagna are paying that fee, if such a fee is even necessary. There might be numerous people who donate money to the organization in lieu of making lasagna. And if you are buying your ingredients yourself, what costs does the organization have? They aren't paying the bakers, they aren't paying for the ingredients... What ARE they paying for? What is it that costs the 5 bucks to match people? Are they paying the people who match up the families with the cooks? And if so, then why aren't they paying the cooks doing the actual work? It just seems fishy to me.

Hi! It's good to see you here again. How are you and your family doing?

I don't know any other lasagna people. There is a FB group, but I don't want to join. I've done enough volunteering to know there are archetypes in every organization. There is always one person who crowns herself the queen and gatekeeps. There is always one person who humble brags about how much they have done, but makes sure everyone knows they have 5 jobs and 8 kids. Then everyone oohs and ahs over them. I don't want that energy in my life. lol

This organization started during lockdown, I think. I am not certain the woman who started this has any experience with running a non-profit. It's a new organization and they are in three countries. I am wondering if they expanded too much, too quickly. They do accept cash donations if you can't or don't want to cook. I am wondering if they ask for money because of server space or whatever. Still, that's on them. It's something that should be a part of their annual operating budget. When an organization becomes large, you need to start tapping companies that have a philanthropy department. They should hit up Walmart, Kroger, Safeway, etc.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning.

I did a very sweaty cardio workout. Phew.

Last night, the cat was here. She was chilling on the deck. I always say silly, rhyming things to her. I opened the door and I said, "Who's dat cutie with the big, ol' booty?" OMG, she turned around to look at me and she left. She didn't sleep here last night and she wasn't waiting at the door to be fed. I know it's a coincidence, but the way she looked at me. It was like a dirty look. For the record, I don't think she has a big ol' booty. I call her "cutie" a lot and that rhymes with booty.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning.

I did a kettlebell/jump rope workout this AM. It was about 30 min. I wanted to keep it short and sweet, since I really need to get busy baking and cleaning.

My husband has some sort of upper respiratory thing. I hope I don't catch it. I have a lot of things to do between today and Monday. He did test for COVID, but that's negative, thankfully. I'd like to avoid having that again as long as possible.

Hope everyone has a good day.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning.

Checking in with a high intensity cardio workout. Wow. I do these because I feel like they keep me warm the rest of the day. I'm just cleaning and baking today. I am baking almond ricotta bars for tomorrow's dinner. We are getting Indian food for dinner for Christmas Eve dinner. I do like Indian food very much, but we get it every week. I was out voted 2-1. I could always get food from somewhere else, but I'm just trying to keep it all very simple this year. We never have a big meal on Christmas Eve, just a mish mosh of stuff.

I hope everyone has a stress-free day.

 

[Lilofan]

Good morning.

Checking in with a high intensity cardio workout. Wow. I do these because I feel like they keep me warm the rest of the day. I'm just cleaning and baking today. I am baking almond ricotta bars for tomorrow's dinner. We are getting Indian food for dinner for Christmas Eve dinner. I do like Indian food very much, but we get it every week. I was out voted 2-1. I could always get food from somewhere else, but I'm just trying to keep it all very simple this year. We never have a big meal on Christmas Eve, just a mish mosh of stuff.

I hope everyone has an stress-free day.

Indian food is delish. I enjoy it but a number of my friends don’t like it so when we go out we go out for other cuisines , Italian or Chinese, etc. One of my former roommates who is Jewish said it is a Jewish tradition that on Dec 24 at night that many Jews go out to eat in Chinese restaurants or take out in massive quantities.

 

[Songbird76]

Hi! It's good to see you here again. How are you and your family doing?

I don't know any other lasagna people. There is a FB group, but I don't want to join. I've done enough volunteering to know there are archetypes in every organization. There is always one person who crowns herself the queen and gatekeeps. There is always one person who humble brags about how much they have done, but makes sure everyone knows they have 5 jobs and 8 kids. Then everyone oohs and ahs over them. I don't want that energy in my life. lol

This organization started during lockdown, I think. I am not certain the woman who started this has any experience with running a non-profit. It's a new organization and they are in three countries. I am wondering if they expanded too much, too quickly. They do accept cash donations if you can't or don't want to cook. I am wondering if they ask for money because of server space or whatever. Still, that's on them. It's something that should be a part of their annual operating budget. When an organization becomes large, you need to start tapping companies that have a philanthropy department. They should hit up Walmart, Kroger, Safeway, etc.

I'm not going to lie...it's been a rough few months. But I'm hoping that things will get better after the new year.

I totally understand not wanting that energy...that would bother me, too. I've never been involved in that kind of volunteer organization, really, though I do find that kind of energy in a lot of other situations, including my church growing up. It was TERRIBLE there. It's one of the main reasons I don't go to church anymore. I still believe in the Bible and everything, but I've found that there is a lot of hypocrisy in a lot of churches, and I just don't feel at home in that environment. When I was in high school, my brother and I were both involved in our church's youth group. My brother had Plantar Faciitis and was on crutches for a couple of months. We were doing a slave auction as a fund raiser so we could go into the neighboring town and go to Pizza Hut and to a movie. This one girl's mom insisted that I had to be auctioned off twice or my brother couldn't go with us, because it wasn't fair that he should benefit from the work that all the other kids did when he couldn't participate in the slave auction, being on crutches. It was absolutely ridiculous. I did it, because I wasn't going to let my brother be left out because of a health issue he had no control over, but honestly, the fact that no one stood up for him and told her she was being a witch and completely unreasonable just highlights that they all felt the same way as her...they all agreed with her. I think my brother ended up just quitting youth group because of it. The same girl told me that I didn't have as much right to belong to the church because she had been there longer, which wasn't true...my mom was one of the founders of the church before she was even born, but just the attitude that some people have more right to be church members than others...wow. And there were several other people in the church who weren't necessarily quite as vocal as they were, but were just as judgemental. I sort of lost faith in the institution.

I can't stand the "gatekeeping" like you mentioned. And in a volunteer organization, it's the worst, because you are already investing time and energy without really getting anything out of it yourself. There's no reason to be that way.

Are there other organizations that you could do the same thing for that are better organized?

 

[Sans Souci]

I'm not going to lie...it's been a rough few months. But I'm hoping that things will get better after the new year.

I totally understand not wanting that energy...that would bother me, too. I've never been involved in that kind of volunteer organization, really, though I do find that kind of energy in a lot of other situations, including my church growing up. It was TERRIBLE there. It's one of the main reasons I don't go to church anymore. I still believe in the Bible and everything, but I've found that there is a lot of hypocrisy in a lot of churches, and I just don't feel at home in that environment. When I was in high school, my brother and I were both involved in our church's youth group. My brother had Plantar Faciitis and was on crutches for a couple of months. We were doing a slave auction as a fund raiser so we could go into the neighboring town and go to Pizza Hut and to a movie. This one girl's mom insisted that I had to be auctioned off twice or my brother couldn't go with us, because it wasn't fair that he should benefit from the work that all the other kids did when he couldn't participate in the slave auction, being on crutches. It was absolutely ridiculous. I did it, because I wasn't going to let my brother be left out because of a health issue he had no control over, but honestly, the fact that no one stood up for him and told her she was being a witch and completely unreasonable just highlights that they all felt the same way as her...they all agreed with her. I think my brother ended up just quitting youth group because of it. The same girl told me that I didn't have as much right to belong to the church because she had been there longer, which wasn't true...my mom was one of the founders of the church before she was even born, but just the attitude that some people have more right to be church members than others...wow. And there were several other people in the church who weren't necessarily quite as vocal as they were, but were just as judgemental. I sort of lost faith in the institution.

I can't stand the "gatekeeping" like you mentioned. And in a volunteer organization, it's the worst, because you are already investing time and energy without really getting anything out of it yourself. There's no reason to be that way.

Are there other organizations that you could do the same thing for that are better organized?

I am sorry to hear you're going through rough patch. I hope the new year is better for you, too.

I agree with you about how churches can have toxic parishioners, too. After my mom got divorced, she starting going to different churches and she found this one that she liked. It was fine until certain people found out my mom was single and divorced. She said people started giving her the cold shoulder and they weren't really interacting with her at things like bible study. So, she stopped going. Of all places to ostracize someone! I'm cynical enough to believe they didn't want her there because she couldn't give a big tithe, being a single parent.

That woman sounds like a ginormous PITA. This is why I like working with Lasagna Love. I have virtually no interaction with people. I go into my profile on Sunday night and let them know if I can make a lasagna and they send me an email if my services are required. I just return an email and tell them I'm on it. Then I text the recipient to ask them questions about dietary preferences and make arrangements to drop off the lasagna. Unless the recipient asks, you just drop it off on their porch and text them it's there.

What is a slave auction? What did you have to do once you were "auctioned?"

 

[Sans Souci]

Indian food is delish. I enjoy it but a number of my friends don’t like it so when we go out we go out for other cuisines , Italian or Chinese, etc. One of my former roommates who is Jewish said it is a Jewish tradition that on Dec 24 at night that many Jews go out to eat in Chinese restaurants or take out in massive quantities.

Yeah, I love it, but I wanted something a little different. It's ok, though. The Indian restaurant we go to sends emails with deals in it once a week. This week it said, "Trade your egg rolls for samosas this year." I think they were trying to lure Jewish people away from Chinese restaurants on Christmas Day.

 

[Sans Souci]

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a great day.

Yesterday I did a jump rope/kettlebell workout and today I did a kettlebell/gliding discs workout. I went out for walks, too.

We had a pretty chill Christmas. We heated up our food from Whole Foods and it all smelled so amazing. We had beef tenderloin and when my husband went to slice it up, he said he was having a hard time because there was a lot of connective tissue inside of it. It was disgusting. We had to keep spitting out meat because of gristle. It was just riddled with it. I am kind of angry because this was a very expensive meal and I have high expectations for something from Whole Foods. Even the cat wouldn't eat it! She hung around the back yard all day and when I put a little bit of the beef out for her to eat, sniffed at it, looked at me and walked away! I haven't seen her since. Luckily the sides were good, so we mostly ate them. Nobody went hungry, because we have all sorts of other things to eat. I am thinking of calling the WF I ordered this from to let them know. If I got this in a restaurant, I would have sent it back. I am honestly wondering if this was even a tenderloin.

But other than that, it was a very low-key day. I made a chocolate peppermint cheesecake and it was so good, so at least we were able to enjoy that!.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

I did a 60 minute workout from YouTube this AM. It was good. We are in Washington, DC now. This hotel has an amazing gym and I am hoping to use it tomorrow morning. It took 5 hours to get here. The rain and heavy holiday traffic on I-95 was horrendous. I kind of regret not taking the train, but I like being on my own timeline. We have tickets to go to the National Archives tomorrow morning. I hope the drive back on Friday is a little better, but it's Friday and people are moving around for NYE.

 

[MinnieM123]

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a great day.

Yesterday I did a jump rope/kettlebell workout and today I did a kettlebell/gliding discs workout. I went out for walks, too.

We had a pretty chill Christmas. We heated up our food from Whole Foods and it all smelled so amazing. We had beef tenderloin and when my husband went to slice it up, he said he was having a hard time because there was a lot of connective tissue inside of it. It was disgusting. We had to keep spitting out meat because of gristle. It was just riddled with it. I am kind of angry because this was a very expensive meal and I have high expectations for something from Whole Foods. Even the cat wouldn't eat it! She hung around the back yard all day and when I put a little bit of the beef out for her to eat, sniffed at it, looked at me and walked away! I haven't seen her since. Luckily the sides were good, so we mostly ate them. Nobody went hungry, because we have all sorts of other things to eat. I am thinking of calling the WF I ordered this from to let them know. If I got this in a restaurant, I would have sent it back. I am honestly wondering if this was even a tenderloin.

But other than that, it was a very low-key day. I made a chocolate peppermint cheesecake and it was so good, so at least we were able to enjoy that!.

Glad to hear that most of your Christmas Day was enjoyable. Your chocolate peppermint cheesecake sounds delish! As for the tenderloin issue, I'd definitely blame WF for that. Sounds like they either either picked a less desirable cut, or cooked it incorrectly. For the money they charged you, I'd let them know.

 

[Songbird76]

I am sorry to hear you're going through rough patch. I hope the new year is better for you, too.

I agree with you about how churches can have toxic parishioners, too. After my mom got divorced, she starting going to different churches and she found this one that she liked. It was fine until certain people found out my mom was single and divorced. She said people started giving her the cold shoulder and they weren't really interacting with her at things like bible study. So, she stopped going. Of all places to ostracize someone! I'm cynical enough to believe they didn't want her there because she couldn't give a big tithe, being a single parent.

That woman sounds like a ginormous PITA. This is why I like working with Lasagna Love. I have virtually no interaction with people. I go into my profile on Sunday night and let them know if I can make a lasagna and they send me an email if my services are required. I just return an email and tell them I'm on it. Then I text the recipient to ask them questions about dietary preferences and make arrangements to drop off the lasagna. Unless the recipient asks, you just drop it off on their porch and text them it's there.

What is a slave auction? What did you have to do once you were "auctioned?"

A slave auction is exactly what it sounds like and would probably not be allowed to be called that today. You sell people doll to do work. We were sold for 4 hours of labor a piece. I had to babysit someone's kids and had to clean someone else's house. Some kids had to mow lawns, or walk dogs... Whatever the person who "buys" you needs done. But since my brother was on crutches, he couldn't really mow lawns or mop floors or carry boxes. And the Karen lady didn't think it was fair that her babies should have to work to pay my brother's way for dinner or the movies, so if he couldn't be auctioned off himself, either I had to take his place or he couldn't go. This same woman threw a fit because my mom was the girl scout leader and we were going to go to Yellowstone, but my mom had to bring my brother along, and even though my mom was paying for him herself and I had sold more cookies than all the other girls in the troop COMBINED and I had sold all my calendars AND her daughters, she didn't think it was fair for my brother to go along because he wasn't a girl. And since my parents were divorced (which I suspect is the real issue) mom couldn't leave him home alone. So the trip ended up getting canceled. I still got to go with my mom and our girl scout pen pals from Minnesota, but not with funds from our troop. They paid our way in exchange for my mom chaperoning and being a guide. And then Karen through a fit that her daughter didn't get to go.

 

[Songbird76]

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a great day.

Yesterday I did a jump rope/kettlebell workout and today I did a kettlebell/gliding discs workout. I went out for walks, too.

We had a pretty chill Christmas. We heated up our food from Whole Foods and it all smelled so amazing. We had beef tenderloin and when my husband went to slice it up, he said he was having a hard time because there was a lot of connective tissue inside of it. It was disgusting. We had to keep spitting out meat because of gristle. It was just riddled with it. I am kind of angry because this was a very expensive meal and I have high expectations for something from Whole Foods. Even the cat wouldn't eat it! She hung around the back yard all day and when I put a little bit of the beef out for her to eat, sniffed at it, looked at me and walked away! I haven't seen her since. Luckily the sides were good, so we mostly ate them. Nobody went hungry, because we have all sorts of other things to eat. I am thinking of calling the WF I ordered this from to let them know. If I got this in a restaurant, I would have sent it back. I am honestly wondering if this was even a tenderloin.

But other than that, it was a very low-key day. I made a chocolate peppermint cheesecake and it was so good, so at least we were able to enjoy that!.

I'm so sorry about the dinner! I'd let them know. It sounds like something went wrong and they are notoriously expensive, so it should have been high quality.

Would you mind sharing the recipe for the chocolate Peppermint cheesecake? Please and thank you!

 

[Sans Souci]

A slave auction is exactly what it sounds like and would probably not be allowed to be called that today. You sell people doll to do work. We were sold for 4 hours of labor a piece. I had to babysit someone's kids and had to clean someone else's house. Some kids had to mow lawns, or walk dogs... Whatever the person who "buys" you needs done. But since my brother was on crutches, he couldn't really mow lawns or mop floors or carry boxes. And the Karen lady didn't think it was fair that her babies should have to work to pay my brother's way for dinner or the movies, so if he couldn't be auctioned off himself, either I had to take his place or he couldn't go. This same woman threw a fit because my mom was the girl scout leader and we were going to go to Yellowstone, but my mom had to bring my brother along, and even though my mom was paying for him herself and I had sold more cookies than all the other girls in the troop COMBINED and I had sold all my calendars AND her daughters, she didn't think it was fair for my brother to go along because he wasn't a girl. And since my parents were divorced (which I suspect is the real issue) mom couldn't leave him home alone. So the trip ended up getting canceled. I still got to go with my mom and our girl scout pen pals from Minnesota, but not with funds from our troop. They paid our way in exchange for my mom chaperoning and being a guide. And then Karen through a fit that her daughter didn't get to go.

So a whole camping trip got cancelled because of this woman? And she was still angry that you made alternate plans that didn't use troop money because you didn't invite her daughter? Ugh. She sounds frustrating to deal with.

I know you were raising to see a movie and have Pizza Hut. I have nothing against fund raising and kids working for a goal or extra money, I've done it for band field trips and even selling Girl Scout cookies. This seems like it has the potential to be abused, like you could have someone do something you'd probably should hire a professional do. And maybe I am a Nervous Nelly, but I would not want my son in the house of someone I didn't know or know very well. This goes double for girls.

 

[Sans Souci]

I'm so sorry about the dinner! I'd let them know. It sounds like something went wrong and they are notoriously expensive, so it should have been high quality.

Would you mind sharing the recipe for the chocolate Peppermint cheesecake? Please and thank you!

Here it is.

Peppermint Cheesecake

People are thrilled when they see me coming with this rich, smooth cheesecake—it's always a crowd pleaser. Not only does it look sensational, but it is so scrumptious. —Carrie Price, Ottawa, Illinois

www.tasteofhome.com

I don't know if you have some of the ingredients available over there. It has sour cream in it (maybe you could use creme fraiche?) and these Andes Candies Peppermint Crunch baking chips, but there is a "recipe" in the link to make your own peppermint crunch. I use peppermint oil for making candies, instead of extract. It gives it a more assertive peppermint flavor, but that's a matter of preference.