Long Live the Baking Soda!!

For those of you that read my blog - you would know I have not been working for the last little while.... :-) which means that just as I have am the happiest I have ever been - money is not readily avaiable, BUT even this has an upside.

For example, I have rediscovered my dormant cooking skills  - I can even make pretty good chocolate chippy cookies, chocolate chip bread, herb & garlic bread and meat patties (that others call rissoles) to die for!! On top of that - I know it only gets better - and this is the biggest breakthrough of them all EVER - given 'my name is M and I am a shopaholic' - wait for it........ I can actually for the first time in decades - I can window shop! I know it's amazing  - and so ridiculously simple yet life changing that I can walk in and out of a shop without spending one cent ;-) Not only that, if there is something that I really, really want - I can leave it behind and wipe it from my mind..... And who said there are no modern day miracles!;-)

Another thing that has happened since I have not been working is that I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time wiping surfaces, dishes, dusting and I guess you would have to call it general cleaning ;-) Although Mr M will heartily disagree with the progress I have made down this path - I will admit I am not very good at cleaning by choice, thanks to my memory of an over enthusiastic clean freak mother ;-), but it seems that I actually like to see tidy surfaces... which leads me to today's blog....

I came across a book by Sophie Gray called Live Well Spend Less: Destitute Gourmet (also see destitutegourmet.blogspot.com) and thought I would go through it. Of interest to me and this blog is Chapter six called Clean Up Your Act.  What got me was the lead sentence which reads "I have to confess that I am not a 'cleanie'. When the dust bunnies escape from behind my fridge, I consider it's time to move" (p.126) And with that I read on!

I had heard through the women's grapevine that baking soda is pretty good for cleaning - BUT I had no idea it was this good!!

Home made cleaning products are easy to make. Really? Really!

The recipe for the main cleaning product in this chapter and newly to be released in my house is a mixture of baking soda, white vinegar and bleach in various combinations. The various combinations suits me - so experimenting we go!

Microwave

"To remove the [splats] of food from the microwave roof and sides [(or is ours the only one that has these??)] dissolve a couple of tablesppons of baking soda in water in a microwave-safe bowl., then bring to the boil in your microwave. Let it sit for a minute or two, then you should easily be able to wipe out any baked on stains; the microwave will smell fresh too" (p.129).... I know? Pretty cool right?

Sinks

"Sprinkle the sink with baking soda and wipe with a damp sponge....."(p.130) I've since done this and I got sparkle - it took a bit of elbow grease - but cheaper and more environmentally friendly than other cleaning products - so I'm wrapped (or overly excited??)!!

Taps

"Spread a thin paste of baking soda on taps and when dry polish off with a rag for the shiniest, shiniest tapes you've ever seen "(p.130) Amen to this!! My taps are looking pretty stunning -  granted I only tried the kitchen ones - the others will follow.... ;-)

Fridge

"Dissolve a couple of tablespoons [of what? you guessed it] - baking soda in a bowl of warm water and wipe the interior for a clean and odour-free fridge" (p.130)

Stains on clothes

"Make a paste from baking soda and water and rub it into the stain prior to washing". (p.132) I did this and it worked!! It is soooo much cheaper than Nappisan or buying frend!! Try it yourself.

The Loo

"An all purpose spray cleaner, baking soda, bleach or white vinegar will all clean the toilet hygenically and cheaply." (p.134) This is about to become my son's favourite!! ;-)

And the list goes on and on... so check out the book or ask Ms Google to help you find more recipes. Besides being a bit of worry that we put baking soda in our cooking (like my chocolate chippy biscuits and banana cake) - in terms of a cleaning agents, and saving heaps of dollars a year - long live the baking soda!!

Yours in friendship,

Mxo

Kindness Begins with.........

When I was little I was taught a song called "Kindness Begins with Me". It has been taught to children across the world in my faith for generations past, present and to come. Its tune is catchy, the words - simple "I want to be kind to everyone for that is right you see, so I say to myself remember this, kindness begins with me".... and the message long lasting.

I recently read an article by Stephanie Dowrick (http://www.stephaniedowrick.com) in a Good Health magazine called "Born to be Kind". At the time I was looking for something I could do to improve myself in the new year and liked the idea of BEING KIND and was something I could actually do....... Unfortunately heading into month three of 2012 - the motivation to be kind has not only worn off, but I have failed at it horribly! For this reason, I thought it was time to bring that article back and bump it up my 'Get Crackin M' list ;-) So for the next 21 days (in order to make it a habit ;-)) Kindness is really going begin with me - Dowrick styles - easy right? Right!ish....

Here are some of her suggestions.

Embrace yourself and your body
Dowrick suggests that we can do this by taking more care about how we regard ourselves as women and support other women to do the same. The other suggestion is that we appreciate our bodies, its health and what it allows us to experience. Who says being kind is going to be easy!?

Ban Criticism from your Relationship
Dowrick encourages us to 'ban' bad-tempered, critical comments or disparaging remarks for specific time periods. I'm going to try this from 3pm - 8:30pm - which covers the time I pick up the boys and their father comes home from work - and I reckon its going to be pretty quiet around these parts ;-), but by doing that Dowrick reports that I will be able to see a positive affect on my sense of self as well as my relationships. Some suggestions on the 'how' is to make a daily habit to notice what's right: be encouraging, and appreciative of the small things as well as the large. The most interesting one is that Dowrick suggests that we need to apologise for bad behaviour, rather than defending it.....hence, my turning a new leaf ;-)

Make Your Child (and Yourself) Likeable
Dowrick suggests we can achieve this by "teaching our children - by setting the example - to be the thoughful, delightful type of person that others want to be around. Show them how to have concern for others, to be courteous, enthusiastic, appreciative and interested. Teach our children the art of a meaningful apology and to teach our chidren that life is a precious fight that is to be celebrated every day."

Care More about Others
Dowrick suggests that we do this by being courteous - speaking kindly, showing interest and listening well. WE are encouraged to think about and take responsibily for how our words and actions, affect others. The last one is to CHOOSE to be kind and include other people instead of leaving them out.

Treat your partner as your Best Friend
Dowrick provides some things we can do to help us with our partners or other relationships we may have. 1)Deliberately cultivate a loving friendship with your partner - deliberately, sounds like making an effort...., 2) Show respect for, and an interest in each other, - for me this entails me sitting and watching endless hours of sports..., 3) validate and encourage each other every day - she says EVERY DAY - I got soo much work to do here.... and 4) talk and listen - this shouldn't be too hard given that Mr doesn't talk much.... just hope I don't fall asleep ;-) If I can do all of these things - and these habits are established -  Dowrick says that they will reduce the bad times and support the good. I can do this! - can you?

 Dowrick says that "when we are consistently kind to people, [our] trust and faith in [our] relationships increases, as does [our] self- esteen. This comes partly from knowing that [we] are capable of making good choices when it comes to [our] way of relating, and that [we] are capable of making amends if [we] hurt someone.... [Kindness] creates harmony between [us] and others and builds resilience and positivity."

Sooooo, as you can see there is much work to be done...... I wish us all the best in being kind to everyone. Here goes - 21 days of kindness coming up! ;-) Wish me well - because I am going to need it!!

Yours in friendship,

Mxo

A Cat's tale

Recently, I watched a movie about a Dolphin called Winter who lost a tail and was fitted with a prosthetic one. I didn't want to watch it because I have a problem with sea animals being in captivity and the rest of it.... but found myself being drawn into the story and the plight of this little dolphin and because of the care she received in captivity - is alive and well.....What a remarkable story! I even checked the webcam at http://seewinter.com/  this morning to see if she was still okay... and she appears to be doing just like she did in the movie... very well!

Two things came to mind after watching this story/movie. 1) I have to get to Clearwater, Florida to see Winter and it has made it to one of my top places to visit before I die ;-) If it was a surety that Harry Connick Jnr (who played one of the main characters in the movie - and one of my favourite big band crooners ;-)) would be there to personally show me around the complex - it would be closer to the top of my list ;-).... and 2) Tails are very important to all animals.

I don't have a dolphin - but - it appears I now have a cat. Simba, my dog who passed away had a broken tail so I never saw that thing do anything but hang down. The totally opposite applies to this cat and I'd never seen anything like it. So intrigued about this, I asked Mr Google, "Dude - what is up with this cat's tail?" and what a tale he told.

At http://user.xmission.com/~emailbox/tailtalk.htm  it gives you little pictures of cats tails and their interpretation which are helpful but can't be copied or distributed. At http://cats.about.com/ cat's tails are discussed along with heaps of issues cats and their owners face. But today I am going to refer to http://www.feednfarm.com/cattails.html which if you are an animal lover, as I am, will find this more than a tiny bit interesting...

The most common cat tail talking our cat Skinny (although since adopting us - no longer applies to her) uses:

1. Tail curves gently down and then up again at the tip. The cat is relaxed and all is well in her world.

2. Tail slightly raised with a soft curve. Something has peaked her interest. 

3. Tail is held erect but the tip is tilted over. Cat is in a friendly mood with slight reservations.

4. Tail is fully erect with the tip stiffly vertical. This is a wholehearted greeting with no reservations and

5. Tail held still, but the tip is twitching.

The cat is showing its mild irritation. If the twitching increases a swipe from a paw may be imminent. For me, this is telling me to quit annoying the cat, and stop treating it like a toy ;-) otherwise I am going to get scratched again! and,

5a. Tail is swishing violently from side to side - not like a dog - it is not wagging its tail in joy.

This often means that the cat is about to attack. For me, I now know it's a bit late once the cat gets to this stage and I pretty much deserve EVERY scratch and bite I get ;-)

Have fun matching the tail meanings with your cat and if you really want to get a pet that tells you exactly what it feels - without having to watch and interpret a tail - get a dog ;-) That's the lesson I've learnt.

Yours in friendship,

Mxo

 

The Mind-Body Connection

Every year our family plough through heaps of magazines looking for inspirational words we can cut out and make a collage that will represent our goals and aspirations for the year....... Last night we got around to do that for 2012 and like always, there were pauses during the evening as we would get caught in reading the articles. There were at times, not much cutting and pasting being done....

I was just as guilty as the boys and their father, but instead of pausing to read, I liked what I read so much I started ripping pages and pages out, not to cut up and use as a collage but because 1)the Good Health Magazine is the best magazine find in a long time and 2) the articles were just too good to be cut up - instead they needed to feature in the 5n2mins blog ;-)

One of the articles I managed to salvage in time was called the Mind-Body Connection by Helen Foster who writes "Your feelings and the way you interact with others, impact on your overall health in some surprising ways" Of the 12 surprising ways your feelings can impact on your health, I have chosen my top 5 - not the top 5 easiest but rather the top 5 I need to concentrate on!.

Expressing love can help to lower your cholesterol

After Professor Kory Floyd from Arizona State University asked a group of people with high cholesterol to write about their loved ones three times a week, they ended up with lower cholesterol levels than the group not involved in writing the love notes. Isn't that amazing - so I'm going to express my love towards my family more often AND eat healthy as well - because I may not be a genuis but I know that what goes in my mouth has to be sorted as well.

Too much anger can upset your gums

Experts at Harvard university found that men who were regularly angry were 72 per cent more likely to have gum disease than calmer men. It is thought that the insulin produced to get your anger on - is the link. I already have sick gums - so getting my anger sorted can help with my gums - who knew right?!

Boredom might kill you

Research by Anne Britton and Martin Shipley of the University College of London found that people who regularly claim to be bored are - wait for it - wait, wait, wait - are two-and-a half times more likely to die in the next 20 years than people who were stimulated. No way, right? Nothing to worry about if you just plain boring because as Britton explains "the state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors rather than a direct cause of death" meaning when you are bored you are more likely to smoke, drink, do drugs and those kinds of things get you killed..... phew!

Positive Thinking Boosts Antibodies

US Scientist Richard Davidson found when researching people's reactions to the flu vaccination, that the pople that were the most optimistic had the highest level of antibodies. So, note to self: here's another reason to listen to your mother whose last words before she passed - be positive!!!

Forgiveness can Help Fight Pain

Experts have shown that forgiving people actually reduces chronic problems such as back pain....according to Dr James Carson of Oregon Health and Science University. Author David Hamilton also points out that forgiveness meditation - where you focus on good things for others - also raises endorphins, the body's natural painkillers..... So you guessed it - another note to self: focus on the good in others and don't keep grudges!

I have some work to do.... how about you? Any mind-body connections that you know of.....

Yours in friendship

Mxo

A message from the other side...

I have always believed that the distance between this life and the next - those that are living and those that have passed on - is best described as a veil. I believe I have experienced this because I often talk to my mother who has been gone five years this May, and on occasion feel her presence beside me.....

Anyway, recently, my 17 year old dog died and I was devastated. If you are a follower of this blog - you already know how I felt about her..... As she past I kept my cool, but as soon as I got to the privacy of the car - my heart broke and I groaned with pain. I know it sounds dramatic, but if you are a dog lover you know what I am talking about.

Anyway,  I missed her everyday and miss her every time I get in the car, go to the beach, see a tennis ball or even go to bed. I miss holding her in my arms and kissing her but most of all, I miss touching her. I knew from experience that time heals and that Simba's passing would eventually not hurt, but I didn't realise that she would be the one that would help me... you see, I think that she has sent me a message from the other side.

A couple of weeks after Simba died my husband came home and said that he had heard Simba barking. He looked around and knew that dogs were not allowed where he was, but said he heard her barking again. He got the distinct impression that she was okay and that she wanted me to know that. The moment he told me that I knew it was true because I had a feeling that she was close... I can't explain it but my heart started to mend....

However, the most impressive message I have received has come in the most unlikely of forms - a black cat. This cat, who I have called Skinny because she had the skinniest legs that I had ever seen on a cat  - just walked into our lives. I had seen her earlier when Simba was alive but never paid her much attention as she was just one of the strays that were around.... and here she is.

Quite simply, she came into my home and my family and although against her experience as a stray cat she lets us stroke her and pat her. Her ears prick up when we call her Skinny and comes to us when we call, well she brushes her tail up against your hand when you call. She is still jittery when loud noises are made, and even looks like she is ready to skidattle in second but even those kinds of jerky movements are lessening. She is yet to allow me to hold her in my arms but this may come with time.

Unlike Simba, Skinny is not the prettiest of cats - and black as Simba was white... Her eyes are damaged and once we get to the vet, I'll know why, but she already gives my nieces the creeps because of it. Her tail is always up in the air which is different from Simba whose tail was broken and never lifted much.... She follows me when I get up and move around the house for no reason, and is content just sitting beside me doing nothing....

I'm trying not to like her, we all are - out of loyalty to Simba I guess...... but all I know is that when I wake up she is on my bed having jumped on sometime during the evening....... Surely, she has been sent as a message from the other side.

Thank you, and I love you Simba xx

Mxo

Not Julie & Julia :The Edmonds Cookbook

After watching the movie Julie & Julia, I thought I would do something similar but from the Edmonds Cookbook. I thought I would pick five recipes that I liked and would bake them and put them up on my blog. That was over a year ago! So I thought 2012 I'm gonna get it done - so here are four recipes...

Why the Edmonds Cookbook and especially for those of you who don't live in New Zealand? Well,  although it says that the cookbook is seen as "a favourite aunt in many families - thoroughly reliable, always helpful and regarded with great affection..." (Edmonds, 2006, p.8) - it actually reminds me of my mother...  For as long as I remember, we have always had one in the house. The recipes I remember the most were the scones - but those aren't featured today - why ruin that memory? ;-).

Before we start - a warning or two or three.... 1) Julie & Julia was an awesome movie that I have watched more than once and loved it everytime, but just confirming here that my baking is no Julie or Julia. 2) Julie & Julia was a very cool concept - but this is more about me, my mother and a New Zealand classic book so not copying I promise and 3) just in case you missed it - my baking is no Julia Child or Martha Stewart or even one of the blogs I follow called Chef in training.... so I'm asking you to have a look and use your imagination ;-)

Madeira Cake
We love Madeira Cake and the little loaf-like cakes you buy in the supermarket are getting both smaller and  more expensive so I thought why not make one myself and what do you know - the Edmonds Cookbook had a recipe and here it is.

Preheat oven to 180C and grease a 20c square tin and line the base with baking paper. Cream 250g butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Add 4 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 2tsps grated lemon zest. Sift 2 1/4c flour, and 2 tsps of baking powder together and gently fold into creamed mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Leave in tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack. Before serving, dust with icing sugar. Verdict: «««1/2 loved the lemon flavour which came through nicely. Quite moist and proved popular in the Turketo home (popular meaning it didn't get thrown out for the birds) ;-)

Shrewsbury Biscuits

Shrewsbury Biscuits have been one of the staple snacks in our boys school lunches since they were little as I am sure is the same across the country. Anyway, one day I thought - let's see if the Edmonds Cookbook has a recipe for these and - da-dah!  I know you know what they are meant to look like - but here are my ones. Don't laugh, and if a chuckle slipped - don't worry - you aren't alone. They had to be the UGLIEST Shrewsbury biscuits I ever did see! the good news is that if you google these biscuits - there are plenty UGLY biscuits there as well ;-) Verdict: ««1/2 surprised they didn't brown more, they needed waaaay more jam than the recipe had, were quite hard and kinda spicy (the lemon zest coming through strongly)- probably more about me than the recipe ;-) Preheat oven to 180C. Cream 125g softened butter and 1/2 c sugar until light and fluffly. Add 1 egg and 1tlb grated lemon zest and beat well. Sift 2 c flour and 1 tsp baking powder togehter. Mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Knead well. On a slightly floured board, roll out to 4 mm thickness, Cut out rounds using a 7cm cutter. Cut a 1 cm hole in the centre of half the biscuits. Place on greased oven trays. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. When cold, spread whole biscuits with 1 tsp raspberry jam (I don't agree!) and top with biscuit with holes in them Makes 22.

Chocolate cupcakes

I have friends who have a little business called KK's KupcaKes which are yummy - so one day I thought - I'm going to try and make some chocolate ones. In my clearing up I even found my tupperware icing tools so thought at least they would like okay.... BUT - note to self, wait until cupcakes are cold (as in cold, cold no warm) before icing ;-) Verdict: ««1/2 These weren't very popular (yes, made the throwing out for the birds standard ;-)) and will be trying again with another kind of cocoa and ice when really cold and will let you know how I go.... The recipe for these are found on page 40.

Pancakes/pikelets

The last one are piklets/pancakes. In the more recent editions of the Edmonds Cookbook the recipe for pikelets are gone so I use the pancake recipe and add sugar. Over the years I have made adjustments to the recipe to suit the tastebuds of my family but the basic recipe or formula is 1 egg to 1/2 c sugar to 1 cup of flour to 1 generous tsp of baking flour to 3/4 c of milk. For my family of four I usually do a batch of 3-4 eggs. I use butter on a hot plate and the rest is yummyistory ;-) Verdict: ««««1/2

I don't know how Julie did it, following a years worth of Julia Child's recipes and blogging about it when I have only managed to do four - but it was fun. I'm yet to get into the dinner recipes, but looking forward to the challenges those will bring and who knows - there might be a part two of this blog to come ;-)

Yours in friendship,

Mxo

Regrets

Recently I have been thinking about regrets - things like the unfortunate opportunity to have them and wishing like heaven they never happened and wondering - am I the only one with them and how the dickens do you get rid of them!! In an email, in response to my speaking of one of mine, an Aunty wrote "don't habour regrets it does no good for anyone". How true is that!!

As soon as I read that, I thought about my attempts thus far....

1) Regrets can teach us lessons.

Even regrets can teach us lessons. Rushing a conversation with my Nanna was a regret that I had. I was 19 years old. I had come out of class at university and was trying to get a hold of someone... and she answered the phone and wanted to have a little chat. I was busy and running late for a private piano theory lesson which was about 20 minutes drive (on my scooter) so I hurried our conversation in order to get moving. The regret I have was that my Nanna died hours after talking to me...... For years I carried that regret of rushing her and especially without saying a proper goodbye. However, it is because of this REGRET - that I make sure that I end every phonecall with my family with a "love you"... just in case... even my 38 year old little brother can't escape it :-)!  

2) Forgiveness is real

Everyone has regrets and the worst are with whanau. One of mine involves a custody issue. This regret is a heavy little beggar which I am still chipping away some three years after getting it. The relief from this heaviness has come in the form of two dreams in which an Uncle who has since passed, has come to me and showed me that forgiveness is real. He looked free of any troubles, any hurt feelings, and genuinely happy to see me and I tell you in those brief seconds - I feel forgiven... and it is good. My advice, forgive yourself for your part in any regretful situation - that's where the challenge continues to be for me - but when we do, it promises to be the moment that we will be free from the burden called regret! 

3) Don't be Stupid Dear

I'm not sure its actually a regret but its something that I think about often specifically looking for things I could have done better to help my mother... Days before my  mother passed, her local GP came to check on her and advised me that she had maybe three to five days or a week to live.... It was after I had told the Hospice nurse what the Dr had said - that she advised me to 'prepare for three days because your mother's time was very near" - that I LOST it (for maybe 20 secs)..... I pulled myself together (worthy of an academy award) and went into Mum's room. She asked me "what did the Dr say?" and I said "nothing....." HELLO - how stupid did I think she was?? That's the regret.... Anyway, I have come to understand that I did the very best I could for my Mum and although I should have told her the truth about what the Dr said - because she already knew it!, I KNOW that she loves me and any regrets about that time are RUBBISH. In fact if she were here, she would actually say - "don't be stupid dear!!".... Have a look at your regrets - are they silly? They probably are - so let it/them go!

4) True friendships are resilient

Last year a friend of mine found out that I thought that they may have been having an affair. I know you can imagine what happened next and although several months later I still feel stink about that - what I learned from my mate was that true friendships are resilient and although ours had suffered a little blip - nothing had changed for them - and we are still friends. By continuing to fret over it - it then is only MY problem and I  have had to learn to get over myself!! Thankfully, true friendships are resilient!!

So, from someone who has regrets and is always looking for a way to get over them - 1) always learn the lesson, 2) forgiveness is real, even forgiveness of yourself, 3) review the things that you think are regrets - because seriously - some of them are probably silly, 4) if they are a true friend - they will be your friend regardless of your words, and lastly, 5) let's get over ourselves, because like my aunty said - "don't habour regrets [as] it does no good for anyone".  ;-) 

Let me know how you go...

Yours in friendship,

Mxo