January Miscellany
In case you're new here, you should know that miscellany posts happen when I have a whole pile of small things to talk about...lots of little bits that aren't long enough for a whole post.
I have had a happy realization of late.
Topping pancakes with whipped cream and fruit may actually be a MORE virtuous choice than topping them with butter and syrup.
Anytime "whipped cream" and "virtuous" go together, I'm so there.
I love me some cream, I do.
Nom, nom, nom.
Fruit and whipped cream are just such an excellent combination.
Hey, Maple Syrup! I'm so sorry, but it may be a while before we meet again.
I only have to use 2 tablespoons of sugar to make enough whipped cream for the whole family meal, and I am positive that we use more than 2 tablespoons of syrup (which is basically liquid sugar) for a pancake meal. So, the cream is a win on the sugar front.
And as far as fat goes, whipped cream is certainly no more dairy-fat-laden than butter, since butter is cream minus the non-fat liquid.
I partially thaw frozen fruit to go with our pancakes since berries and peaches are quite out of season, and I just use plain, unsweetened fruit. These are peaches from a local farm and they are so sweet all on their own...I'm super glad I froze several bags of them this summer!
(In case you were wondering, those are Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes and they're super easy to make.)
_________________________________
It seems to be my phase of life for repairs. After I posted about fixing my blender (and fixing my shoes recently!), I took my watch in for a new battery (which was free because I'd purchased a lifetime battery plan).
It's a good thing it was free, because my watch is so still not working.
Nuts.
It's a nice Citizen Quartz watch, so I think I'm going to look into getting it repaired. I've had it since 2002, though, so if it's impossible to repair, I won't be too disappointed.
_________________________________
Sunny days make me so happy.
In the winter, we seem to have more than our fair share of overcast, gloomy days, so when the sun shines brightly all day, I really, really appreciate it.
_____________________________
I'm giving a little talk at a local meeting for moms tomorrow (about frugality, of course).
I hate speaking in public.
I've spent the week being quite sure that this will be the death of me.
Would you like to know how much I hate speaking in public? Last winter, I was scheduled to speak on a homeschool panel, and I got a dreadful flu and fever and lost my voice, which meant I couldn't speak after all. And I considered that to be quite the silver lining to my flu cloud.
It sort of reminds me of how, when I was working at Nordstrom and I totalled my car on the way in to work, my first thought was, "Oh! At least I don't have to work my shift now!"
That could be filed under, "Ways To Tell You Hate Your Job".
Anyways, if there's no post up on Saturday, it's because I died of I-Hate-Speaking-In-Public-Itis.
It's been lovely knowing you all.
______________________________
If I don't expire on Friday, next week I have some fun things to share with you...I'm going to roll out a new monthly feature here and also finally share a project I'm working on with Lisey.
Ok. I think that's all the randomness I have to share with you today.
______________________________
Today's 365 post: Little Photographer
Joshua's 365 post: More Monster-Cello!
Sunny and 50's today!! I am so hanging out some laundry today! Peanut Butter Fudge looks delicious.
So true about the job thing. At my old job, I found myself fantasizing about getting appendicitis or something where I could go to the hospital for a few days and get some rest! You know you're life is out of whack when a hospital visit sounds good!
Good idea on the pancakes, I might do that this week. I love it with strawberries.
I had the same fantasy regarding a couple of my jobs! Definitely not a good thing!
I'd love to hear about how you freeze peaches. We love peaches and I can quite a bit, but freezing them hasn't gone very well for me in the past.
Me too, I have vowed to freeze fresh in-season fruit next summer. Do you have to blanch it or do anything to it first?
Just another example of how inspiring you are.....by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to speak in public. You are constantly moving forward in your life by learning & growning........and then you share it all with us!
The audience tomorrow sounds ideal - moms, who will no doubt be sympathetic and patient. Coming to hear you is adult stimulation for them.
Good Luck and I'm sure it will go extremely well.
Good luck with the speaking! You will be fine! I know that isn't one of my favorite things either! But I guess sometimes in life we have to do things that we really rather not due! 🙂
Thanks for inspiring me to top pancakes with fruit and whipped cream tomorrow morning! I have cream sitting in the fridge that I've been wondering how I will use up, and now I know! The boys will love it!
Good butter actually HELPS to digest wheat bread/pancake/waffle. Fruits can have a lot of sugar also, just like syrup does.
Yeah, but I feel like a peach is a better choice than syrup, especially if the syrup isn't the real variety. At least a peach has a lot of other things going for it nutritionally speaking, whereas syrup pretty much doesn't.
And I'm definitely not afraid of butter. I love dairy fat. 😉
You are so funny--good luck with your speaking engagement this weekend. You will get through it. 🙂
I never liked syrup on my waffles and pancakes! Fruit and whipped cream would be my top choice.
And very important question: Are you straightening Sonia's hair? I almost thought that was Lisey in the school picture at the kitchen table.
Looking forward to the Lisey feature. 🙂
Nope, I haven't straightened her hair...it's just that it sometimes is more straight than others, depending on how recently she's had a bath. And it's definitely more straight in the winter than it is during the warmer months, due to the change in humidity.
looking forward to the new feature, Kristen. They are always good!
Good thinking on freezing the peaches. Summer fruit in the middle of winter is such a treat! I plan to freeze some more locally-grown fruits and vegetables next summer.
Can I come hear you speak? I think that would be neat. I enjoyed hearing you when you did the podcast a while back.
Also, is that PB fudge? Nom.
Ooh, that's going to be a long trip for you! 😉
Woah looking at that picture of the girls at the kitchen table...ZOE LOOKS SO GROWN UP. My goodness! (I also did think Sonia was Lisey for a minute..until I saw the hair color).
Oh yeah...and public speaking? Sucks. The whole "in their underwear thing"? Doesn't work. But what works for ME when I speak to large groups (usually kids ), is...before I go up to speak, I just mutter to myself, "I AM awesome at XYZ. Man, I can be the BATMAN of XYZ. TO THE RESCUE!" And I laugh at myself once it's out there. Reese? Batman? Of XYZ? Totally chases off jitters 😉
YOU, Kristen, totally are the Batman of Frugality. I give you permission to wear a cape when speaking.
Haha, that's hilarious!
You will ROCK! They are lucky to hear from you and will love you, I'm sure!
Anything that lifts whipped cream to it's correct pinnacle at the top of the food pyramid (quadrant of the food plate?) is fine with me! Also looking forward to the new feature . . .
Good luck with your talk! Just pretend like you're writing a blog post out loud. You have lots of valuable information to share!
Just look slightly above their heads as you speak and everyone will think that you are making eye contact with them. Works like a charm and calms you down. 🙂
Love the pics--the girls are so precious! Also, your pancake picture made me realize we gotta have pancakes here. My almost 14 -year -old son has never liked syrup on pancakes. The moms group will love you and you have great information to share with them--which some of them may desperately need! I will pray for you and I know that you will do great because you were so meant for this!
I hate speaking in public too but remember that the ladies in the group are there because they want to learn from others. Besides, you're like a rock star to those of us trying to live frugally out here in cyberspace so I know you have a lot to share. Try to have fun!
I don't like syrup, so I always had jam on my pancakes until I had pancakes with my in-laws.... They mix whipped cream with yogurt and add frozen fruit on top. It's delicious! 🙂
I had a similar experience with my Citizen Quartz watch. It was a bit older than yours and batteries didn't make it work anymore. The jeweler told me that older watches need to be retuned and cleaned once batteries don't fix it but it costs more than a new Citizen when they are on sale! I wasn't going to do that and just decided I'd save my money for a new watch. Hope you have better luck.
We converted to whipped cream on pancakes about a year ago - it makes breakfast-for-dinner a little more fancy and festive!
Kristin, I feel your pain about public speaking! It can be crippling, especially when your job requires a lot of customer meetings (as mine does). So in order to tackle the problem head on, I taught as an adjunct professor at a local university for several semesters. Talk about outside my comfort zone! However, it did more for me than any of the speech classes I took while in college.
Just make a detailed outline and practice, practice, practice!!! Good luck!
First, I wanted to say that I read your posts often and enjoy your commentary. Second, you sound like my husband when it comes to public speaking. He is a people person and loves one on one conversations, but is absolutely terrified of a crowd of people. I am the opposite. I find it very freeing and more comfortable to be in front of a large group of strangers than being the center of attention of my family. I wasn't always that way. In 9th grade, I gave a small speech on a project and almost passed out. With practice and good advice, I got better and more comfortable.
In graduate school, my adviser felt it was his job to make sure we understood our research as well as be able to present it to someone else so they understand it. During our second year of study, we had to give an hour long seminar about a topic that was loosely related to our own research. It's daunting to fill about 45 minutes of time with your own voice and prepare for 15 minutes of questions. My adviser's reputation was also on the line because we were his students. So, he made sure that we had our ducks in a row, knew our topic, had good references, was relevant to the group, and our slides looked good (easy to read, not too crowded, etc). The most important thing he did was make us practice with the research group. We went slide by slide and phrase by phrase through the entire presentation. He made sure we were using the right level of technical jargon, the right terminology, and that we could handle the tough questions.
My part time job (second job) is teaching at a community college. Every time I get in front of my students, I try to use those same techniques my adviser tried to instill in us. Practice is the best preparation. Knowing what you are going to say and practicing what you are going to say are two different things. Grab your hubby, friends, or even you kids and let them be your practice audience. Another way to critique yourself is to record yourself (video or audio) and listen to how it sounds.
I have seen very successful researchers (famous ones) who stumbled through their talks. On paper, they are amazing at getting their points across, but live it's another story. You write very well and if I had to make a guess, you are great at the one on one. My best advice is to plan and practice and it will go smoothly. The more you speak in public; the more comfortable you will be. I think you really should speak more in public. You have a message that people want to hear.
I hope that didn't come off too "preachy." I know it was long winded, but I really am a fan of your blog. This is my way of trying to contribute positively. Best of luck!
No, no, I need all the help I can get!
And yes, I do just fine at one-on-one conversations...it's just when I'm in front of a group that I feel much less comfortable.
Loretta Lynn was initially nervous about singing in public so her husband would bring the kids and tell her to sing to them.
Ever considered ToastMasters? My husband learned a lot. His group was very very encouraging.
Hi Kirsten! I hate speaking in public too, so when I was invited to give a talk about my business to a local college class, I almost said no. But my husband (who is a college professor) gave me a couple of tips and not only did the talk go well, I actually enjoyed it! This is the tip: start off with questions that people in the audience can answer. Think of two questions, for example, that you can base your talk on, and then refer to the answers as you continue your talk. You might ask, "how do you save money on XYZ?" and the opposite question "what do you spend the most money on?" or whatever point you are trying to make--and let 2 or 3 people answer. Then you are giving a good talk AND you are having a one-on-one. It makes thing so much easier (and much more pleasant to listen to!) Good luck. Is anyone taping it btw? I, for one, would love to hear it with my own ears!
Oh, and I would have to agree that fruit and whipped cream would be better than butter and syrup. You convinced me!
I so identify on the job thing. I used to cry every morning, before having to go to work...and was really t hankful when there was such a bad snowstorm, the roads iced over and I couldn't travel!!!!
I think whipped cream and fruit on pancakes sounds really good. I like whipped cream and sliced bananas!!!
Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
I just had to replace the battery on my Citizen Quartz as well--it's about 15 years old. At first it worked fine, but about a day later it had stopped again. I ended up resetting the time 5 or 6 times because it kept stopping and then I don't know what happened, but it randomly starting working properly all on its own! Maybe yours will do the same thing! 😉
I used to be terrified of public speaking, so a friend taught me to create a "Jamie knows all of everything" persona. Pretty much, it's all in my perception in how I'm coming across, but it works. Of course, I got to practice several times in the week beforehand. Now, I teach legal research!
Also, a tip about pancakes I learned from a friend: they freeze really well! To defrost, simply put them in the toaster. This is especially useful for us singles, a I just wouldn't make 2 pancakes at a time.
I hope you survive your speech. I need my daily blog email to get me through my day. 🙂
no negative self talk,positive self talk.you can do it.i know you will be great at your meeting and we cant wait to hear about it.
First, It was 70 and Sunny, here in the Dallas metro, today and is supposed to get up to 78 tomorrow. It felt incredible today!
Second, public speaking is the most HORRIFYING thing one can do, and you must have lost your mind to agree to it!!!!! I would have taken off running as soon as the person asked! 😉
How do you make whipped cream with so little sugar? I have had some difficulty making whipped cream. Thanks for your help and great post!
Kristin, you are going to do great at your public speaking engagement! The best advice I've been offered about public speaking, which I have to do regularly as part of my job is, "don't think of it as public speaking." You wouldn't be nervous having a one-on-one conversation with someone about being frual, so instead of looking out at a "crowd", find a few friendly faces at different places in the room, and shift your direct eye contact between them and pretend you are just having a conversation with four or five good friends. The best part is, from the audience's standpoint, its difficult to tell exactly who you are looking at and almost everyone thinks that they are getting your direct attention. This advice worked wonders for me; hope it helps you!
Since there is some unidentifiable thing about cream that I just can't stand, I like to have yoghurt and fruit on my pancakes. 🙂
Public speaking... when I'm actually up on stage, I can put on an "acting front" and be fine. It's just the nervous adrenaline before and immediately after that nearly does me in....
I don't use syrup and butter either. What we use is the vanilla yogurt recipe and fruit. You should try that sometime. Talk about YUMMO!!!!! Much better than syrup!