I'll Do It Myself!

Why is it always so hard to work in a group? Is it just me or does it always seem like a few people do the lion's share of the work. I hated group projects in school. While I understand we all have different strengths, blah, blah, blah...there are a lot of times I would rather just do it myself. Thanks Dad (said with sarcasm!)

Today has reminded me of this dilemma. It appears to be happening in multiple areas of my life. I'm concerned about how easy it is to point fingers and speak poorly about others. Frustration causes me to do things I'd really rather not be doing. I don't really think pointing fingers or talking badly about one "team member" with other team members is conducive to solving the problem. Nor does it feel right.

What do you do in these situations? Do you care if you start pointing fingers? Does it bother you when you are speaking badly about other "team members"? Just food for thought.

Adventures in a Stick Shift or Finding Out What It Isn't

I got to revisit how dependent I am on my automatic yesterday.  I love my automatic.  It's taken me nearly five years to say that.  I drove my grandparents to OHSU in Portland.  It's on a hill.  There was traffic, lots of traffic.  I didn't kill the car, us or anyone else but I sure wished I had the automatic!

Know what it feels like to find out what something isn't but still not know what it is?  That's what Grandma got to feel yesterday.  While everything the doctor had to say was encouraging, it didn't get at the root of her problem.  She's healthy, he expects her to live to 113, and the veins to her brain are great.  The chances of a stroke are low.  But none of this explained why she's dizzy.  "I feel defeated," she said at lunch.  I know what she meant but had no words to buoy her up.  

Should she feel defeated? That's open to debate.  People like to say things are what they are.  All things point to health.  Is that what she should focus on?  I don't know. I know in my life I hate it when I don't know the answer.  Why do things happen the way they do?  Are we supposed to be learning something from life? Or, are things what they are? Okay, so no great answers today.  

Only once did I forget I was driving their car and try to start it without pushing in the clutch...at REI.  Luckily, I had pulled forward into the next spot so there wasn't a car in front of me to hit.  It was what it was.

The Importance of Being Trustworthy

I woke up with a thought this morning.  I've been thinking about relationships for the last couple of days.  What is the most important thing we can do to create, keep or save our relationships?  Many times we think of relationships as being between partners, like a husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend.  We all have relationships though.  Relationships with family, with friends, with co-workers, with pretty much anybody we meet.   These relationships don't always go well.  I'm not trying to be negative.  I'm just trying to point out something I think we can all work on. 

Have you ever really thought about why relationships don't always go so well?  Are you pointing the finger at someone else right now?  Be honest.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that perhaps relationships don't go well when there is a trust issue.  If each person in the relationship can trust the other, all other things fall into place.  Communication cannot work if there isn't trust. If money is involved, things can get really bad really quick if there isn't trust. If it's a sexual relationship, trust plays a huge role.  Every part of a relationship comes back to trust.

Being who you say your are and doing what you say you will goes a long ways towards creating a person that others will trust.  If others trust you then you are leaps and bounds ahead on creating a good relationship!

High Taste Low Fat Pumpkin Bars

It's that time of year again...the time of year when I become obsessed with all things pumpkin. Or at least that's what Andy thinks.

However, I hate pumpkin pie. It's not because of the pumpkin though. It's the texture. Until a couple of years ago, I still thought it was the pumpkin. Once I realized how wonderful pumpkin muffins, scones, pancakes, waffles, and lattes were, there was no looking back.

Now, realize I am a seasonal girl! I don't want pumpkin muffins or lattes in July. I want them from October through December. Well guess what, it's that time of year again.

Canned pumpkin lends itself well to low fat recipes - it moist and flavorful. So, while I plan to share a recipe below that's easy and tasty, I thought I'd share a little information about pumpkins. Or, rather, about Libby's canned pumpkin.

Did you know that this product first appeared on store shelves in 1929? And for those not in the know, canned pumpkin is not that little jack o' lantern you carve at Halloween! You would do better to use squash than those things (the others are watery and stringy). Libby's uses a special variety they call the Dickinson Select. About 5,000 acres of these little jewels are grown each year around Morton, Illinois. And, they can them the same day they're harvested. I like to do things by hand or from scratch, but pumpkin puree is just not worth it.

Ok, let's get to that recipe. I'm calling it High Taste Low Fat Pumpkin Bars. I adapted the recipe from one on a blog I read, called A Veggie Venture. Go check her out! She has a ton of recipes -all with veggies. If you can't find something new to try than you have a problem! Anyways, this recipe is adapted to low fat and no wheat. They are amazing and easy. Even Andy admitted they were good after teasing me about, "Are they pumpkin?"

Note: If you don't need wheat-free just use wheat flour, preferably whole wheat!

High Taste Low Fat Pumpkin Bars

• 1/4 cup canned sweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup corn flour (not corn meal)
  
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp Sugar in the Raw Turbinado Sugar from Natural Cane

Whisk brown sugar, applesauce and egg together in large bowl. Add vanilla and pumpkin. Combine well.

In separate bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together. Add to liquid ingredients. Combine well. Pour into greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Spread evenly. Sprinkle raw sugar on top.

Bake about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I had to do let mine cook a little longer. Just cook until the center is set up. The raw sugar will stay a little crunchy on top (Duh, that's why it's tasty!).

This makes 9 servings at 1 WW point/serving or 2.5 WW points/serving.

Dog Shit 101 or How to Become the Crazy Neighbor Lady!

Many of us want to rid the world of injustice. Although we'll probably never be caped crusaders over dog shit. You know how sometimes you do something stupid and then wonder what possessed you to do said stupid thing? Hi, I'm raising my hand, really high!

We moved in about a year and a half now ago. I've known neighbor A's dog was shitting in neighbor B's yard for about a year. Now, for some reason it didn't bother me when I didn't know neighbor B and it was obvious they didn't give a crap (get it, ha ha) about their yard. They literally never mowed. The grass was waist high (oh man I'm good). But, now I know neighbor B and I know they eventually want to put in edible landscaping. Dog shit and edible landscaping do not go together, just in case you were wondering.

I hadn't seen the little, yappy dog for a while so I figured the owners had a clue. WRONG! I just hadn't been getting up early enough. Wednesday, I got up at 6:30 am. There is yappy dog, shitting in the yard. It's a clear view through the fishbowl (our living room window is 100 x 70). I run outside in my robe and flip thops yelling, "Whose dog is this?" See, told you it was "How to Become the Crazy Neighbor Lady." I've tried following yappy dog before, and had narrowed down the possibilities for the owners. I went up the alley (across the street) and sure enough the dog went right to the door I thought it would. The owner opened the door and I, being the crazy neighbor, yelled "Your dog is shitting in other people's yards." Notice, I was careful not to say my yard, 'cause I didn't have a leg to stand on. The startled woman just looked at me and said, "Ok." At least that's what I think she said.

Today, I went and told neighbor B what I had said. It's not my business but thought I should let them know in case neighbor A decided to yell at them. Turns out, neighbor A is likely to be moving soon. Boy do I feel silly. At least I didn't likely cause WW III in our neighborhood since I have cats that go outside. Be my luck to have someone, "Your cats shit in other people's yards!"

And, just to show how big a problem this can be, check out this article on DNA testing of dog shit in Israel. Seriously people.