Torch Singer Creations

I’m sharing a recipe I got from somewhere and modified to make it Weight Watchers(R) friendly. Honestly–you can make this bread and serve it to anyone and if YOU don’t tell them it’s “diet” food, they will.not.know. I’m not lyin’!

Low Fat/Fat Free Pumpkin Bread
POINTS® Value: 2 (I entered the recipe in the Weight Watcher’s online tool to calculate the points)
Servings: 18
Ingredients
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute, (or use 2 eggs and add 1.5 points to the total recipe)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup white all-purpose flour
1 cup Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin, (canned or cooked pumpkin, not the pie mix)

Instructions
Heart healthy and low point–but doesn’t taste like it!
Mix sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, water, and eggs in mixing bowl. Combine dry
ingredients separately and gradually add to pumpkin mixture. Mix well. (optional: stir
in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts-adds 1 point per slice)
Pour into greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan (I use cooking spray to keep the fats down) and
bake at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes or until it tests as done. Cool 10 minutes in
the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.
Cut into 1/2-inch slices

I totally nicked this (with permission) from Quelle Erqsome’s blog–with her permission (well, she said she nicked it and encouraged others to nick it from her). Things from this list that I’ve done are in bold text. Grab the list and blog your own!

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (nope, but been under it)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Guide Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

After reading Pharmaknit’s latest blog post, I took the same test she took. Turns out I’m:

Pure Nerd
74 % Nerd, 39% Geek, 43% Dork

Here’s the test.

So? What are you?

I need to make time to say them.

I returned yesterday from a week-long trip to the office in Orlando. My return flight on Saturday took off at 7:40 a.m. That meant getting up around 4:30 to check out of the hotel, gas up and return the rental car, get through security, and get down to the gate. And then there’s the waiting. You never know when you’re going to encounter road construction (there was some) or other perils on the way to the airport. Last time I left on the early morning flight, I got stuck in a HUGE line at Northwest because I couldn’t print my boarding pass at the hotel. The huge line was for the kiosk, I might add. So when I’m traveling, I generally try to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The Orlando airport has free wireless internet, so I can work from the gate, if I need to. But when I’ve only had a couple hours of fitful sleep (can we say phobic about sleeping through alarms and missing flights?), working isn’t the smartest option. I was awake enough to enjoy spending a little time enjoying my new toy.

Continuing my streak of bad baby karma, I was seated directly in front of a woman holding a overtired, possibly colicky child who screamed so loud and for so long that even the most infant loving adults were plugging their ears and praying for mercy. Even with my earplugs stuffed in so far my brain complained I couldn’t escape the racket. I really felt for the poor parent and fought the urge to turn in my seat and suggest something helpful, like vodka in the bottle a nice warm bottle, some bouncing on the knee, a firm gag, or a cuddle and a crooned lullaby. Fortunately for all of us, the child finally exhausted herself and slept for most of the rest of the trip. I must have been especially bad because I was surrounded by small people on this flight. A family with two kids split between my row and the one in front (fortunately mostly well behaved, but I wasn’t sure about the frazzled mom in the beginning when she was having difficulty deciphering which seats were theirs and tried to take my aisle seat (nuh-uh)); six-count-’em-six little boys–a combination of five from one family and one from another–sitting three abreast in the row across from me and one row back; the squalling baby, her parents, and her mostly behaved (except for an intolerable 5 minutes he spend kicking the back of my seat during a tantrum) three-year-old brother directly behind me; and a variety of other small people in other rows nearby (including a nearly newborn whose only sound was a delighted gurgle at the end of the flight). Except for being a little eager to burn off some stored energy while we waited for the aisle to clear at the end of the flight, the kids were pretty well behaved. I, however, was a mess. Overtired, cranky, and in need of a stiff drink and some quiet time, I pasted a smile on my weary face, murmured some platitudes to my seatmates, and made a beeline for the terminal where I got to wait some more for an overheated shuttle back to Rochester. Hmmm….I sound a little brittle about my trip, don’t I? Perhaps a glass of wine and another nap will help. Maybe a BIG glass of wine.

It’s good to be home.

Voted, that is. DH and I were at the polling place early this morning, a bit before the polls opened. Once the doors opened, it went fairly quickly. We were driving away from the polling place by 7:35.

After some months of checking the internets, I finally bagged my prey (thanks to a tip from my favorite pharmacist)!

Here it is:

It was after knitting at Dunn Bros tonight. I left early (because apparently I am unable to tell time and thought it was an hour later). Once I realized it was early enough to hit the store, I decided to give it a try even though I was pretty sure they’d be out since they had it listed in their flyer that started on the 7th. But lo and behold, there it was. The last one, there on the bottom shelf. I found a clerk and got him to open the case and ring it up. Whew! I had just about given up hope of finding one, but got a call from Pharmaknits today and she said Target had them in their ad, but the store on the north end of town was out. I hit the south store this evening and cleaned them out. Ahhhh….success.

The socks from hell are completed. I still hate them. Note to self: When you start knitting a pattern that doesn’t trip your trigger–STOP! Rip it out and do something—anything else. Yeesh. Think I’ll cast on a Nanner now.

I’m so far behind on blogging, my friends have been thinging of devious ways to get me to blog. For instance, my friend Barbara tagged me for this:

The Rules: Rules are posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their names. Then the player goes to each of the “named” people’s blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. If you’ve been tagged, you do the same, letting the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer. They, in turn, answer the following questions. Here we go!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was a newlywed struggling to figure out married life and coping with learning a new job as a contractor at IBM. So far, the marriage worked out better than that job (although I had several different jobs there after that, which led me to the position I hold now).

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today? (Well, I have more than five, but I’ll stop there.)

• update process guidelines
• make airline reservations for staff conference
• create presentation
• create contracts with vendors
• create tracking spreadsheet

and those are just the A1 priorities.

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Ice cream (currently the reduced fat variety), popcorn, salty crunchy things, baby carrots (not necessarily in that order)

4. Places I’ve lived:
Minnesota: Brainerd, Duluth, Mounds View, Little Canada, Rochester. (with a short time in South Carolina while I went through military training).

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Billionaire? with a B? ; Having a little trouble computing. First I’d make sure my mom didn’t have to worry about money. and some help for the kids, if they want it. Then there’d have to be some investments. Probably some travel. And finding a way to do good…create jobs, help people make a better life. Then I’d have to think some more. Oh yeah…I’d probably quit my job so I could have time to play with my toys. Probably need to get a bigger place because I’d buy that loom I’ve been wanting. Oh yeah…and a maid. Maybe a LIVE-IN maid.

So there you have it. Now I’m tagging Sharon, KnitSteph, Laura, ckknitter, and I knit alone. You’re it!

cue Stevie Wonder

OK, I know every new grandma on the planet thinks her grandchild is the cutest, but seriously, could she be any cuter??? I mean, most babies are all squinchy when they come out but look!

She’s perfect! She has a little bit of wispy straight hair, all her fingers and toes, and apparently the strength to wrap anyone within striking distance around her teeny little pinkie finger.

She also shows signs of being tall like her momma. Look how long this little girl is!

We spoke to the new mom last night–they’re home and getting used to their new life and trying to establish a routine. After a little bit of all over the clock, Aina has settled into a routine (needing to get up close and personal with mom every 2 hours). She seems to have a good appetite from what I’m told. She’s been introduced to the resident Queen, a cat who had a strenuous dislike of the other cat in the house….until he died a little while ago…she’s been mourning him. She inspected the new arrival cautiously, gave a few supervised sniffs, and settled down on her favorite spot on the couch, apparently accepting the newcomer with good grace.

And need I say anything about the effect of tiny baby girls on their daddies? Grandpa is all goofy about her from a distance, but I’m told that Aina and her daddy have a special bond already. When he picks her up she stops fussing and gives him her full attention. And he did a good job of hanging in there through the labor and delivery, which must have been hard on him (not as hard it was on Holly, though!). So, their lives are all changed by the magical, mystical, wonderful thing called parenthood. It’s a little overwhelming at first, but they’re both smart and wonderful people so they’ll get through it just fine! Here’s a picture of the newcomer with her favorite daddy:
Could it get any sweeter? We can’t wait to see her in person and cuddle her right up!

We just got the news. DH’s daughter Holly gave birth this morning. Welcome to the world, little Aina. You are already loved by three sets of grandparents and lots of aunties and uncles in addition to your parents. Your Grandma Judy is going to teach you all kinds of mischief fun stuff as you grow. And you’ll never get cold because your momma, auntie, and grandma all like to knit stuff.

Pictures to follow…