When I was young and frisky, blender drinks meant an alcoholic beverage that we ordered from the bar while catting around the bars and clubs on the weekends. A blender drink was usually a Daiquiri or a Margarita, served in large stemware with fruit garnishes and sometimes, if you were lucky, even little chinese umbrellas spearing the fruit and resting on the edge of the glass.
Nowadays a blender drink means a healthy substitute for a meal. I use fresh orange juice and crushed ice as a base, and add whatever fruits and sometimes vegetables that I have on hand, usually at the least a banana and strawberries. But it can be apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries, or grapefruit.
If fresh fruit is hard to come by, I pull a handful of something good from my freezer or dump a can of something packed in light syrup from the pantry shelves. A few minutes in the blender and I have a tall cold drink that I can take with me on the run.
Around Here, Foodie
Another year gone by already. Wow – hard to believe.
This year my birthday was on a Sunday and I could take the entire day to relax and just putter around the house. Read the Sunday paper in the recliner and hubby brought me a fresh cup of coffee. That was a nice start to the day!
We wnt out to dinner at the Cracker Barrel. We could have gone to a fancier place, but I like the food at Cracker Barrel and they know us there, so we never have to wait long for a table. It was nice to have a home cooked tasting meal without me having to do the cooking and the clean up!
My son brought over a stack of new CDs for me. The best of the bunch is the new Eagle’s collection. I listened to a few of the songs this evening and really like the traditional Eagles sound. It was sweet of him to pick out the music for me – he knows how picky I am about music – I can’t hardly stand to listen to the radio anymore. Just some sports talk stations when I’m out driving in the afternoons.
Thanks to everyone who sent me cards and emails – they were really nice. I loved the Hoops and YoYo card from my little sister. That Hoops and YoYo cracks me up! If you aren’t up on Hoops and YoYo, cruise by the Hallmark website and see their free e-cards, their way cool stuff you can buy, and their blog: www.Hallmark.com
Family, Short Notes
I have been observing the rapidly growing number Spanish-only speaking residents there are living in the area, and I have noticed how many English-only speaking residents there are that are reluctant to learn how to speak Spanish. There is a lot of hostility on the part of the non-Spanish citizens, and I often hear remarks like “If they are coming to this country then they need to learn English.” I also hear a lot of anger about how our tax dollars are being wasted on illegal immigrant families. I’m not sure that is really happening, but the general perception is that it is happening.
I am trying to understand both sides of the issue, and I just want to say that I think it is important that we ALL learn to speak BOTH English and Spanish. Eventually we are all going to need to know both languages in order to get along in every day life here in America. And I think it is important that we all get along!
General Living, Opinion
On my campaign to make our house more energy-efficient (for the environment AND our shrinking electric budget) I have decided that it is also a good idea to get pipe insulation for our hot water pipes. I’m going to have my hubby go to Home Depot and buy some pipe insulation and install it in the basement.
I’ve seen some little insulated boxes that fit over top of the outside water spigots to help protect them from freezing. I think that is a good idea, too. It would be awful to have one freeze and burst – especially during the day while we are not home to deal with an emergency like that.
I do try to conserve water and have always turned out the lights when I leave a room and other prudent habits. But I’m always on the lookout for more ideas on how to save money and also help the environment.
Environment, General Living, Home Improvement
Getting out of the car to pay for gas, my cell phone dropped onto the concrete and busted. Doggone it! It still works, but the display part – what do you call that? – is cracked and you cannot see anything, like who is calling or how many voicemails you have. So I guess I have to get a new one.
Of course, the phone company says that my contract doesn’t allow an upgrade yet and I didn’t have insurance on it – that’s a rip off and you know it! – so it is up to me to find something on the internet or maybe “Wally’s World of Wonderous Things” and I hate shopping there, but when you want something cheap, that’s the place to go.
Around Here, General Living
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