Getting Exercise

Well I did it again today - I got up and walked.  We are trying so hard to be healthy.  I realize that as I approach 50 - being healthy takes a lot more energy than it did when I was younger.  I do take more medicine, I try to eat right and limit my wine intake to somewhere around two glasses a day.  (I use large wine glasses).  

What do you do to stay fit?  How do you motivate your body to exercise?  Help !!!!

College Football

Today is a day that I have been looking forward to for a long time.  The beginning of the 2012 College Football Season.  I have been planning for this evening for quite some time.  Ray and I are having Frito Chili Pie and watching the game.  South Carolina and Tennessee start the season tonight.  I have planned the entire Labor Day weekend around the College Football Schedule. 

There is nothing quite like College Football.  There is pageantry, spirit, team loyalty, tailgating, and excitement.  No matter the ranking of a team, you can never always predict the outcome in college football.  Years of rivalry can change the BCS rankings on any given Monday.  An upset on Saturday afternoon can spur a team to bowl game before the season is over.   I am a proud supporter of my Baylor Bears but I love watching Big 12 and SEC football teams as they dual to the final play of the game.  The fans and supporters are always ready for the next game regardless of the outcome.

So here's to college football.  Let the season begin!

New Hair

I  love going to the salon and having my hair cut and colored.  I can't think of anything else that can make you feel like a new person in such a short amount of time.  I love laying back with my head in the bowl while Jeannie scrubs and massages my scalp.  That warm water cascading over my head puts me into a whole new relaxing world.  The smell of great shampoo is just so relaxing to the senses.

Tonight was my turn with Jeannie.  She is so delightful.  She knows when I want to visit and when I just need to be still.  She knows what I like and I trust her instincts when I want to change something.  The salon is professional - not a gossip mill but staffed with real professionals who abide by a dress code and work together as a team.

I think the other reason that the salon is so relaxing is that I can't use my cell phone at all while I am at the salon.  I can't text, check emails or talk on my phone.  The whole time I am there is all about making me feel prettier.  What a treat today was at the salon!

Placemats

I was raised by a woman who believed in setting the table.  I think that is why I am so fascinated with placemats and napkins.  I love to see a table set and how pretty the plates are on a beautiful placemat.  

I think the food tastes better and is not gobbled down when it is presented in a lovely setting.  I know I enjoy eating more when I am seated at a table and have the opportunity to enjoy the company that I am with and the food that is before me.  

Garden Ridge has a great selection of placemats that are not expensive if you are looking to start a collection.  I have fall, spring, Christmas, Valentine, and pretty much a set for any occasion.  I love to find a  set on a sale with matching napkins that goes with any of my dishes.  Next time you want to really enjoy a meal, start by setting your table with a set of placemats and matching napkins!

Exercise

I would love to say that I exercise regularly. I am even a member at a gym - where I never go!!!  But today I am changing.  Today I started to exercise.  Today I walked in my neighborhood with my friend - Jburd.  This is my plan for the next six weeks.  I will get up and walk four mornings a week.

They say it takes 21 days to make a habit.  So for the next six weeks - I plan to exercise for four days per week.  So by my 50th birthday I can say that I regularly exercise. Check by in with me then and I'll let you know if I stuck to my goal.

It was nice to be able to tell the doctor this today that I exercise.  I mean that I have exercised today.  That is a shade of truth and not really a bold face exaggeration of the truth.  I have made day one of exercise.........hoping I get up and make it again on Tuesday.

Rib Rub

Sunday afternoon was a rib cooking afternoon.  My sweet, Rhett, loves ribs, and since he was visiting this past weekend, I wanted to cook his favorite foods.  Ribs sound difficult but really are very easy to cook.  The key is to get the seasoning (rub) just right and to smoke them consistently over a 250 degree fire.  You can't just put them on and leave them.  It requires you to constantly check the fire to keep it at the right temperature.

My rib rub is really good.  You would think it was this amazing concoction of many spices but I really only use three things in my rib rub.  A few people have been privy to my rib rub but for the time being I plan on keeping a secret.  I am considering marketing it someday under the name of Ray's Rib Rub.  Catchy huh?  

I tell you what......if you can help me come up with a great name for my Rib Rub, I'll share the secret with you!  

Family Meals

I have had the best time this weekend with my nephew, Rhett, and his sweetie, Rachel.  He is so grown up and really a lot of fun to be around.  Friday night we had the most wonderful dinner and sat around the table eating and visiting.  He is so appreciative of whatever you cook and always compliments the meal.  Plus he eats everything.  It is such a pleasure cooking for him.

He is such a kind young man. We spent Saturday in town doing a bit of shopping and touring the downtown area.  Saturday night was spent watching the movie Bernie. Great and funny show to watch.  I feel like I knew the folks in the movie. 

I have had such a great weekend enjoying family and cooking for Rhett, Rachel and Ray.  Life is fun when you have family and friends to enrich your life.

Mills County General Store

On Friday afternoon, I rode with Ray to Goldthwaite to  the General Store there to pick up a gun he wanted to purchase.  This is a gun that is hard to find but we found it at the General Store for sale.  Of course I always enjoy a General Store because of the neat cooking items they often stock. 

Ray had a great time "shopping" while purchasing his gun.  He found plenty of  great dove hunting stuff for he and Blair to play with on the dove lease.  His great purchase was a battery operated dove whose wings spin around.  According to Ray, these fake doves whose wings spin are perfect for attracting dove to the area.   I like looking at the dove in my backyard so I may just borrow it after dove season and see how many I can get to flock to my patio. 

The General Store had an amazing cooking section too.  I bought an old fashioned cornbread mini stick iron skillet.  My Grannie had one that was a little bigger but I love this mini one.  It makes the cornbread sticks with lots of crust - just the way Ray likes cornbread.  I also purchased a tortilla warmer but for the purpose of cooking corn on the cob in the microwave.  It is awesome!  

General stores have so many wonderful things to view and purchase.  I can't wait to go back and spend some time browsing again.