Looking for A Good Excuse to Eat Chocolate?

Ha! I know I am. We had our family get together last night and I let myself have a tiny amount of dark chocolate. Brother had smoked a pork tenderloin, and the rest of us brought pot-luck dishes. I brought dark chocolate pinwheels, and neice brought dark chocolate cupcakes.It was a chocolate lover's haven!

Well,there is good news. It seems that our scientific community has proclaimed once and for all that chocolate is good for you! Whoo-hoo! I have gradually changed to dark chocolate, because it has been found to be better than other chocolates.

I love to buy the dark chocolate chips(that you put in cookies) ,and put them in the refrigerator. I munch on a few (9-10) each night. They are cold, and eat them one by one letting them melt in my mouth.Ummmm....are you drooling yet? It's a healthy treat as long as you are cautious,which admittedly it's very hard to be!

Dark Chocolate has amazing amounts of antioxidants which aid the body by getting rid of  free radicals. More good news is that dark chocolate has more antioxidants that green tea or  red wine, and some other well known foods that have been widely published as rich in antioxidants.

 Some say chocolate makes them happy. I do feel better, though guilty, when I eat chocolate. Actually studies collaborate this claim. Chocolate causes your body to produce endomorphins. in larger amounts.  Endomorphins are the “feel good” chemicals .Chocolate also raises your serotonin levels, which can counteract depression and anxiety.

Photo courtesy of flickr creative commons/norwichnut

Chocolate contains magnesium which  is said to be heart healthy. It can reduce inflammatory diseases and helps in preventing type two diabetes.

For more on the history and benefits of chocolate PLUS several delicious chocolate lover's recipes, you can click this link for my newest article written a few days ago..
http://hubpages.com/hub/Chocolate-History-Benefits-and-Favorite-Recipes

Just Being A Writer Today

I've pretty much dawdled around for a few days. Real work is ahead as I have a few articles  I really must write , so I won't be back blogging 'til Sunday . I have truly enjoyed all the comments and will visit your blogs this weekend after I get these three articles finished.
MEANWHILE>>>>>>>>>Here is a look at an article I wrote for hubpages about my retro kitchen. So get lost in the fifties! Just click this link!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Retro-Dining-Tables-and-Chairs-My-Red-Retro-Kitchen

Jackie

I HAVE ABOUT HAD IT WITH CRITTERS! WHAT NEXT?

Hey y'all. I'm okay.I'm okay. Thank God! But I'm starting to wonder........... what next? It's October in Louisiana, and in my part of the state the leaves are barely turning yet, and the bees are still buzzin'. Well. I forgot about that.Just out and out forgot that little fact.

It all started when I went to see if there were ANY pecans on the tree that was hit bad by an ice storm in March,of all things.No..No pecans. Hearing Mama's air conditioner rattle from the outside, I walked over, put a few shems in it, and it was good to go. I continued my stroll around her yard to the front as I made my way back to my yard.

Seeing an overturned statue that sits in her bird bath, I picked up to place it correctly. I was surprised to realize it was plastic. Just as I saw about a 2 inch diameter hole in the statue, I heard a whirring, buzzing sound and immediatly saw yellow jackets or hornets exiting the space. I speedily placed it back on the birdbath, hole facing down hoping to slow the yellow jackets as much as possible. Taking time to do this ,I thought,might save my life, or at least reduce the amount of the attackers!



http://www.clipartguide.com/



Who is to know, but at least I only got stung six times. They were chasing me,though. Thanks to my compression hose I have to wear for this ole lymphedema, I was only stung three times on my right leg.One on the back of my neck, two on my .....er...bosom.(clearing throat....)

I ran in, took off my capris grabbed a pair of long pants and changed quickly. I grabbed my hairbrush and cell phone, and was going to head to the med-clinic 5 miles away.By that times about 5 min. had passed, and other than acute pain in my "bosom"(oh yeah..there!) where I was stung twice, I felt okay. I have been stung by a honey bee years ago , and was going into shock before I was given a shot. However, I  remembered that I had been stung by yellow jackets a few years ago, and other than a bit of pain and nausea, I experienced no serious effects. Mama was gone galavantin' and I'd have to drive myself.

Since I retired, I can't afford (and don't have)insurance. So that colored my decision to take a wait and see.I'm hurting, but okay. No strange feelings, no thick feeling tongue...nothing. Just OUCH,it hurts, and I feel a bit queasy.It could have been so much worse.So ,praise the Lord!

But for today, what with a  skunk last week, armadillos tearing up the yard for a month, snake killin' on Monday, and now THIS......I HAVE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH CRITTERS!

Will a Hoe and Two Old Ladies Kill a Snake?Maybe A Shovel?

I was headed over to Mama's next door  for our morning coffee chat, when I saw her headed my way-fast...really she was a movin' on ....like she was a young thing of 60.(Mama doesn't "do" fast!She's 78.) "Where's the hoe?" she said in a winded voice.
Neither of us garden, and the way we weed is to shell out a fortune on Round Up Weed Control. [Yes.... that is a google keyword...but  a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do! ;)] So when we need a hoe, it's a weapon! "Whatcha need it for?" I questioned, hoping it wasn't a snake. "Well it IS a snake, so I'm takin' this hoe and coming up from behind the snake, and I'm gonna chop it's head off." Mama stated ,with just a smidgen of bravado.

Long story short????? A hoe that has never been resharpened since the day you bought it will not kill a 3ft long sausage width snake. Not even with two old ladies (I'm 61.)taking turns. Add a shovel and chop-chop. ..... nope. Chop-chop,twist. Nope.So Mama got her biggest butcher knife while I held the wounded snake with the shovel. The knife got'em. Whew!

SNAKE! photo by Jackie D. Kimball copyright 10/11/2010 by DMCA

Well,after that how can I not see a snake in my mind every two hours? I mean, as I walk by a bush is that sound the crisp rustle of fall leaves or another dad-blamed snake easing across the brittle leaves ready to plunge? Jeepers!

Y'all Won't believe This !

It has been a day so far... an unusual day!
First, my dear Australian friend Mary Ellen called me bright and early (EARLY..LOL!) I met her on a teacher sight. We have been friends for a decade. She is my daughter Lisa's age...but I digress.....

Got right to the point,she did. She told me to go to our local grocery store and get my present.

Present? (Now I'm thinking that they have a photo pickup there, 'cuz I 've been asking for a recent picture.So I diddy-bop up to the store and she has surprised me with the means to go buy THIS:

 I have been wanting a convection toaster oven.HERE it is! This one also has a rotisserie.I was going to get my oil changed today, so I went to get the oven while I waited. Lucky me...only one left. YES!! What a nice gift, Mary Ellen! I'm so touched, you are SO sweet.It will surely save on my electric bill!

My son Mike also called, right after Mary Ellen and I hung up. I haven't talked to him in a month, because his phone does not work out on the Gulf. So I was just feeling like..."could this day get any better?......It is just a lovely day outside,too." Then it happened.

Before I left for town,  I lost my poor Mama! See,I  went to her house next door to tell her something and she was gone.That was okay, until I saw that her purse,keys, cell phone still there, doors open,lights on, and shrimp thawing on the counter. But she...SHE was gone.

 Thinking she might have fallen, I even searched the property and sheds.She was..... nowhere.After 40 minutes. I called my fellow worry wart.(My relatives know who she is.) Fellow worrier is now worried as well,thanks to me. But in our defense..(notice how I pulled her in to this...?) my mother is very methodical when she leaves. Purse?Check.Keys? Check.Cell phone? Check. Door locked? Check. She obviously didn't have time...did someone come and tell her something so horrible that she just ran with them, got in their car and LEFT? (Oh, yeah..that is how my mind works...sad....but true!)

So I called my sister-in-law that lives just a few miles away, but certainly not walking distance. I asked her had there been an emergency. "No", she said. "Why?" So I started telling her about finding Mama gone( told her about the shrimp,the purse....yada,yada,ya)...predictable Mama gone. So she went through the "did you look..."thing, to which I assured her I had.

Now that I had her good and worried, my sweet lil' ole Mama walks in. Turns out, a neice of hers drove by, and they went joy riding.That's right. Mama went without her essentials.(You would just have to know how she is..)

She saw me with the phone in my hand, and said.....,"uh-oh....were you looking for me?" I was so relieved I almost cried.
Well,none of this woulda' happened if Mama isn't always so predictable.
S, I had to backtrack and call off the troops!
I think I'm going to rest a while now...yep.........Tonight, I'm going to bake some chicken and brown rice in my new oven and raise my (sweet tea )glass to Mary Ellen!

Fall at My house.

Fall is my favorite season. Thought I'd share some of my happy spots with you.

My favorite holiday is Christmas, but fall is full of my favorite color combinations. Even my living room is in greens,browns,yellows, and reds.

I just bought this fall quilt with my birthday money. Don't you just love it?

 So just scroll down and look at little glimpses of how I celebrate the season. I'm not finished, and will add more snippets in a future blog.

Glorius October!

My favorite season is here! I love fall, and today it finally feels like fall. I woke up yesterday at 8:00 a.m. The air was crisp, and leaves crushed under my little dog Sweetie's feet. I got on my riding lawn mower and happily cruised around the big ole yard, singing and just taking in the beauty of the day. After I mowed the front and my back yard(left the sides for today)I was give out, but only because of the lymphedema in my legs.Just a beautiful day! Boring, but that is how I roll!

Daughter Lisa and I had  sauteed chicken and onions over a bed of crisp spinach for supper. For dessert, a yogurt fruit smoothie.
Recipe for Sauteed Chicken Over Spinach Salad
Procedure:
~Cut 2 raw skin-off chicken breast filets into small pieces.
~Cover the bottom of a cast iron skillet with olive oil and heat.
~Place chicken in the cast iron skillet which has been covered with olive oil.Use a medium heat.
~ Stir chicken in the oil frequently .
~When the chicken is about half-way done, add 1/2 cup of chopped onions and cook until done.
~Sprinkle with a little salt and Mrs. Dash (liberally), or your favorite seasonings.
~ Remove chicken from heat and cover for 10 minutes.

Using (washed ,chopped , and drained )spinach, green onions, two chopped boiled eggs, and 1/2 cup (or more) of shredded Montery Jack (jalepeno) cheese, toss your salad .
Divide the salad  into individual salad bowls. Arrange Chicken and onions on top of salad, and provide favorite dressing. We use ranch dressing.
This salad is also delicious with a handful of dried cranberries added.Lip smacking good!