How Attractive Are You?

I'm being cagey here, but I hope you will take the time to read and give this a little thought. 
While I don't really think about my age unless someone has the nerve to ask me (wink) ...sometimes I will look in the mirror in certain light and wonder...."who is that?" Of course then I will go find a different mirror somewhere else and see if it's any better. lol. 

Recently after doing this I sat myself down in front of the computer and decided to start searching for various new and exciting facial creams and potions.  There are LOTS out there...after reading hundreds of reviews I was no closer to making a decision...so I of course whipped off an email to my best friend Heather in the UK.  As we are both the same age and have similar life outlooks, I can always count on her for her take on the subject.  And while she agreed with me about the whole aging issue and things we can do to 'improve' where we are, she did voice something I found particularly obvious.  Well not obvious until she pointed it out to me!

No matter what age we are... 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc...what kind of person are we drawn to?  Is it that stunningly perfect individual who defies all age brackets?  No...usually not...we may have friends who are physically appealing...but why do we stay friends with them - or anyone for that matter?  Drum roll..............Because we find them interesting!  We connect with them in some way and/or we find them so interesting we want to know more!!


Ah....how true!  So while I  find myself getting older, I do intend to age gracefully.  But MORE important than that - I am setting an intention to BE more interesting - for me and for those who choose to be around me! I will be trying something new, learning new things, travel somewhere different, eat or cook something different - get out of that self-imposed RUT.  Doing this gives me something to look forward to - a sort of challenge to myself.  I want to be someone people enjoy being around (I guess I always have) - not someone where folks go running as soon as they see me coming.  I hate to say I know people like that.  Certain folks who are in our lives, and probably happy in their life - yet nothing different or 'interesting' to comment on since our last conversation, no matter how long it's been.  


And of course since I decided on this a couple weeks ago, I 'happened' to find this short, inspiring video - I've already started 2 different 30-day changes for me - and it's funny how you can commit to something if you have a somewhat short range goal.  See if you agree - and hopefully you will join me in finding life and yourself more interesting. ☺

Let Them Eat Cake!  

After a weekend of eating I'm on a roll!  lol

Now granted I don't eat a lot of cake...but when I do, it better be good!  I'm like that with chocolate too!  And yes I realize many think sugar and flour are the enemy...but frankly for me the 'processing' that has gone into our 'foods' that I put at the top of the list to 'avoid'.  And it's not easy!  We pay for convenience and yet for something as basic as cake..how convenient is it really?  I mean we buy a box - add water, oil and eggs to most of them...and we 'make' a cake.  Did you know the basic ingredients needed for a made from scratch cake?

Butter
Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla
Flour
Baking powder, salt
Milk
 
So if you can handle a couple measuring cups/spoons..you're done in about the same time.  And you can pick your own ingredients...organic butter or milk/flour/eggs if you so choose to make it even healthier!  (save money too as you have most of these normally on hand)


Here's what you get for 'convenience' in a box:  (plus adding your own eggs/oil/water)


Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron,Thiamine Mononitrate,Riboflavin,Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Propylene Glycol Mono- And Diesters Of Fats,Mono- And Diglycerides), Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate). Contains 2% Or Less Of: Wheat Starch, Salt, Dextrose, Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Cellulose Gum, Artificial Flavors,Xanthan Gum,Maltodextrin,Modified Cornstarch,Colored With (Yellow 5 Lake, Red 40 Lake). Contains: Wheat.

I hope you can see where I'm going here!  Now I'm not saying never use any convenient prepackaged item again - but what I am saying is we've gotten so far away from actual cooking it's affecting our health! We all get into a rut, but one thing I remember are family get-togethers of home cooked meals!  I LOVED these meals and what went into them...recipes exchanged and great conversation as well.   I'm on a bit of a rampage here as I sometimes get nosy and look in other peoples shopping carts when I'm in the store.  Some inspire me and I wonder what they are making! lol And others depress me as some are full of frozen meals and convenience foods I can't help but feel bad as even the kids in that house won't know how to cook!

My daughter Rachael inspires me with her experimenting with more ethnic and simple meals - healthier and end up costing less as well!  Or home made cookies made with the kids instead of store bought - again, something worth taking a little extra time for.

Another area I've been experimenting with as I pretty much despise bottled salad dressings, is making my own vinaigrette. Basic ratio is 1 part acid (vinegar or citrus) and 3 parts oil (I tweak this to my own tastes...but that's the beauty of it...YOU decide.  Basic ingredients to add:  minced fresh garlic, pinch of salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, honey etc.  All you need is a glass jar with a lid to shake it in and of course pick a healthy oil to use. Regular salad, pasta salad even as a marinade!  

Lordy now I'm really getting hungry! :o)