A Little Surprise!

During the holidays I tried to use technology to help with my Christmas shopping and to create a personal Wishlist on Amazon. You've got to love technology for this time-saving benefit.
EXCEPT ... in early January I got an email from Amazon. They keep track of what you look at so they sent me a link for a great deal on this wii product. Curious, I checked it out on the iPad. I didn't realize it was logged in to Walt's Amazon account. Anyway, there was a quick shop button so I clicked away thinking I would look it over. Hhmmm ... red flags waved in my mind. Should I be concerned?!?! I looked in my shopping cart ... empty. Whew! Nothing ordered; just "window" shopping on a Sunday afternoon. The following Thursday I pulled in the driveway and noticed a package on the front porch. Well, my first thought was that Walt must have ordered some books from his wishlist. And ... anyway ... HIS name was on the package! But as it sat on the counter I had a flashback regarding that quick shop button. No, it couldn't be ... I slit the packing tape to peek. OH, NO ... yes, it was the wii game! No books inside! Dang!
Target sells this item for $39.99 and I got it for $20.00 so I am convincing myself it was a great deal >clears throat< and guess who feels obligated to "party yourself into shape"???? Yes, that would be me!
Moral of the story ... never click the quick shop button. I'm thankful it wasn't a $200.00 item. On the other hand ... I suppose if you really wanted something it might be tempting .... hahaha. Only kidding!

Wasa! Where Are You?

What a surprise! While grocery shopping after the beginning of the year I was a little shocked to see the shelf at my store was bare where the Wasa Crisp and Light crackers are located. Did everyone catch on to this tasty treat?!?! With only 20 calories per cracker they are the perfect match with my 35-calorie Laughing Cow cheese wedge. I have been enjoying this in my lunch each day. Walt had to drive to a WINCO near his work to find them and now we buy several boxes at a time.
Sounds like others have made New Year's resolutions to eat healthier!

Goodwill Finds

I love finding "treasures" at Goodwill. Last week I found this fun red Nine West purse --in perfect condition, a black Banana Republic merino wool sweater, an Ann Taylor top, and a piece of my wedding registry glassware ... yes, it was on my M&F registry nearly 40 years ago. I would love to find more for my china place settings. I will patiently wait and look each visit. There must be more out there! Using all of my discounts and gifts cards, I only had a balance of $13.00 out of pocket.
I had an opportunity to make a quick stop at the Cornell store recently and found these items pictured below. The lemons remind me of Italy and I purchased this sweater in black last year at a Nordstrom's sale for $20.00. This sweater? $6.99 ... Love, love, love this!
Thanks, Donna for the Christmas gift card that keeps on giving. You know the joy I find in a bargain!

Living With Intention -Healthier

Living with intention changes many of my food/meal choices now. When I grocery shop I am reading labels, looking for calorie content, sodium etc. It takes a little longer to go up and down each aisle. It takes time to return home with bags of food and then spend several hours prepping, chopping and cooking items in order to have the best food choices available.
While looking at cans of refried beans I was a little shocked to see the sodium content. I guess that makes it tasty so we will continue to buy their product. So, I decided to buy pinto beans in bulk and look for a recipe online and make my own. I used to make them in the 80's when I lived on the Covert Bailey Fit or Fat diet. I had an idea that there might be a crockpot recipe that would cook them while I'm at work. I tried the following recipe but I didn't have a jalapeno on hand ... they were tasty anyway. The next time I make them, I think I will eliminate the salt all together.
Beans are inexpensive and a good source of protein. They are easy to make and freeze well. Give them a try. It's one small step to a healthier ... and richer YOU!

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
• 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 5 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
• 9 cups water

Directions

1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Amount Per Serving Calories: 139 | Total Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Words With Friends Wow!

I am still a novice but I was pleasantly surprised when my word: succeeds added up to 128 points. I don't think any of my other words/plays has beat that record. Oh, how I love this game!