Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

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Cleaning Up My Act

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Day 127 in my efforts to get ready to meet MIckey

Today my plan was to clean up inside and out.  So I went to church this morning to worship our incredible God, and I just got home from the sauna.  Mischief managed!

After I post this blog, Mike and I will prepare our second Blue Apron meal.  Tonight it’s Basted Flank Steaks with Beet-Freekeh Salad and Gorgonzola..   I don’t know what Freekeh is, but I keep hearing, “Get your freak on, get your, get your freak on…” in my head.  These meals are teaching us things.  🙂  Here’s tonight’s ingredients:

  1. 2 flank steaks
  2. 1 bunch red baby beets
  3. 1 Hungarian wax pepper
  4. 1 red onion
  5. 1 bunch chives
  6. 2 T. crumbled gorgonzola cheese
  7. 2 T. butter
  8. 2 T. sugar
  9. one quarter cup cracked freekeh
  10. one quarter cup walnuts
  11. one quarter cup red wine vinegar

Sound great, right?  I’ll let you know tomorrow what we thought.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: The Braised Moroccan-Style Salmon and Greens with Quick-Preserved Lemon, Pine Nuts and Red Quinoa last night was absolutely incredible!  You can see a picture on my Facebook page, if you wish.  Just look for Donna Taskila Jarvi.

 

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Blue Apron Meal

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Day 126 in my quest to eat healthier to build some stamina to run with Mickey

For my birthday, Emi and James ( my lovely daughter and son-in-law)signed me up for three meals from Blue Apron.   Last Thursday a package was delivered with all the ingredients and the recipes for putting the three meals together.  Here is what we’re having:

  1. Basted Flank Steak with Beet-Freekeh Salad and Gorgonzola
  2. Chicken and Chestnut Pasta with Savoy Cabbage and Granulated Honey
  3. Braised Moroccan-Style Salmon and Greens with Quick-Preserved Lemon, Pine Nuts and Red Quinoa

My plan for today is to put together number 3.  Even the ingredients sound delicious.  2 skinless salmon fillets, half a cup of red quinoa, 3 cloves of garlic, half a bunch of kale, 1 Meyer lemon, 1 pound of heirloom cauliflower, 1 bunch mint, 2 T. capers, 2 T. dried currants, 2 T. sugar (I plan to substitute Splenda), 2 t. Ras El Hanout, 2 T. Pine Nuts.  I’ve never heard of Ras El Hanout, but it looks like a spice.  I’ll let you know how it was tomorrow.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Thank you for all the prayers for my brother Gary.  He came through the surgeries and is recovering.  I am so glad that the surgery is behind him!  God is good all the time.

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Another Payday-Weigh Day

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Day 124 in my journey to join up with Mickey in a healthier body

Here we are at the 11th of the month again and that means time to face the scale.  I have to tell you; I was pretty nervous stepping onto that cold, glass scale this morning.  Since a month ago when I last weighed, we have celebrated Mike’s birthday, Thanksgiving and my birthday.  It was with no small amount of fear and trepidation that I faced the cold, hard truth of the scale.  Well, it’s a miracle.  I have lost another 3.2 pounds for a total of 33.2 pounds.

I have had a very good month, but somehow, when you have been a career dieter, you always expect the losses to stop.  But why should that be, right?  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4:13)

So, dear readers, I will keep on keeping on.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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Digging Deep

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Day 123 in my trek to the Kingdom that is Magic and my friend Mickey.

Today’s plan is to take good care of my self:

  1. I went to the doctor’s this morning and had some blood drawn.  I am doing my best to stay 2 steps ahead of diabetes.  I am prediabetic and controlling it well with diet and exercise.
  2. I had a salad and a piece of fruit for lunch today.
  3. We are eating dinner out tonight, and I will once again have a salad.
  4. I am planning to get up early tomorrow and head to Lake Bluff Health and Fitness to walk before work.

Christmas is just 2 weeks away, and I want to dig deep and be as good to my body as possible.  Maybe it will help me to make healthier choices on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, too.  Here’s hoping!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: All prayers are being accepted for my brother Gary who is going through some major health issues right now.  Please lift him up in prayer with me.  God bless!

 

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Just Another Manic Monday

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Day 121 in my adventures in preparing to meet Mickey in October        (10 months and 5 days to go)

Ahhh…another Monday.  A new beginning, a chance to have an even better week.  So my plan for today was to get up early and go to Lake Bluff Health and Fitness to walk on my way to work.  I did it..again on a Monday…in icy cold drizzle under gray skies.  It does feel great to have my plan for the day accomplished early in the morning.  Tonight we will have a veggie filled, delicious dinner, and I will put this day to bed in a sugar-free, exercised, healthy day-way.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Is anyone out there watching The Red Tent on Lifetime?  It was off to a great start last night, and tonight it wraps up.  Very interesting.  It’s on at 8:00 CST and 9:00 EST.  It’s worth the watch.  The two hour program called, Women of the Bible, was really good last night, too.  It was a nice break from all the Hallmark Christmas movies.  🙂

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The Choices We Make

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Day 120 in my journey to better choices until (and after) I meet up with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Donna.  She loved the month of December.  Her birthday was in December.  Her brother’s birthday was in December.  New Year’s Eve was in December, and the holy of holies, Christmas was in December.  (And later her other brother and sister-in -law were married in December.)  At her house it was party, party, party all month long.  For the entire month there were amazing goodies in the house: chocolates, Christmas cookies, birthday cake, ice cream, nuts, flavored popcorn, Lifesavers books, candy canes, soda pop, homemade coffee cakes, etc…  It was a month of sugar highs and, of course, the crashes that followed those sugar highs.

The little girl grew to be not-so-little as she indulged in all the available goodies.  By the time she made it to Junior High, it was a real problem.

My plan for today is to spend time thinking about the choices that I have made in my life to gain the weight that I carry today.  And I will continue to seek new choices for a healthier lifestyle.  In past years I would have gained 2 to 5 pounds so far this holiday season.  With another 2 to 5 added by New Year’s Day.  I know I haven’t gained weight this year; I can feel it.  I don’t know if I have lost weight, but I’ll let you know on Thursday, my next payday-weigh  day.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Going deeper: I was a little girl who developed very early.  My mom took me to JC Penney’s when I was in third grade to get my first bra.  (blush)  Even at that very young age, I would overhear people talking to my mom about how quickly I was developing.  I didn’t like it.  I really do believe that subconsciously I decided to pad myself to hide how quickly I was developing.  Hmmm..interesting.

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Practicing New Behaviors

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Day 119 in my pilgrimage to party with Mickey

Today was all about changing past patterns.  We had our Annual Women of St. James Cookie Exchange today.  Usually that meant chipping in something that was easy, like coffee cake or juice.  arriving late, leaving early, and piling cookies in a box to take home.  Then once again at home I would put the cookies in the freezer with the best intentions of leaving them there until Christmas Eve.  Then I would proceed to nibble away at them until there were hardly any left for Christmas Eve.

Today I got up early to cook 96 mini-quiches to bring along.  I arrived at the church early.  I volunteered to share a story book with the ladies.  I helped to plate cookies for the bake sale tomorrow benefitting a local food pantry.  Then I left for home with no cookies.  I decided the best way to not eat a bunch of cookies this year, is to not have them in the house.  We are going away for Christmas this year, so no need to serve up Christmas cookies here on Christmas Eve.

I did, however, come home with a box of oranges from the high school band fruit sale.  I think I’ll go and enjoy one right now.  Have a lovely day, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Disney Love

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Day 118 in my current love affair with Walt Disney World and Mickey

Things I adore about a Walt Disney World Vacation:

  1. Family together time away from the stresses and pressures of daily life and work.
  2. Old Key West-I literally exhale and all my stress drifts away when I get there.  Whether  it’s hanging out in our room or relaxing by the pool or sharing a meal at Olivia’s, this place is just my happy place.
  3. The Magic Kingdom–this is the place that I become that little girl again, the one who always wanted to go to “Disneyland” but never got to go, because it was too far and too expensive.  Disneyland and I are both 59 years old this year, and for me it’s been a 56 year love affair with all things Disney.  (That’s about when I have my first memories of Disney.)
  4. EPCOT, Disney Hollywood Studios, The Animal Kingdom–Each park is so unique and so interesting.  I love to see the changes every time we go, even though I sometimes miss the attractions that have gone away.  (I still miss the original “Journey Into the Imagination” ride, and don’t even get me started on “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride”!)  But this time we will see the New Fantasyland and the first stage of the changes at Disney’s Marketplace.
  5. I love the fact that you walk about 5 miles a day, and it doesn’t feel like torture.
  6. I love some serious pool time.  I expect to do miles of pool walking in October just because I can.  🙂
  7. Amazing gourmet meals.  We make it a point to schedule one sit-down meal together for each day that we are there.  Favorites include Olivia’s, The San Angel Inn Restaurante and Tony’s Town Square.  And this year we will be there for the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT for the first time.  Looking forward to that!

My plan for today is to think on these wonderful “loves”, so that my zeal will be renewed, and I will put some extra active-ities into my day.  I finished setting up for the Womens’ Cookie Exchange this morning.  I will grocery shop on the way home from work today.  And tonight I will take a more active role in decorating the tree and the house for Christmas.  The kids will come over (Yay!) and we will have “The Dip” while we decorate and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  And you know what?  It is a wonderful life!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: The Dip is not a diet friendly dish.  We have it twice a year, (1) when we put up the Christmas Tree and (2) on Oscars night.  (A) In a pie pan you spread 8 oz. of cream cheese. (B) Top with 6 chopped green onions. (C) Top with a can of No Bean Chili. (We do one pan with no beans and one pan with beans) (D) Top with 8 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese.  You can either microwave for 5 minutes, or you can heat it at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  We prefer the oven, as it stays hot longer.  Serve with your favorite chips.  Mike and I prefer Ruffles; Jake and Eliza (aka The Kids) like blue corn chips.  Tonight we’ll also have veggies on the side.  For me: more veggies, less chips.  🙂

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Setting Up

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Day 117 in setting out to be in a healthier condition to meet with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom in October.  (10 months and 9 days to go)

Today’s plan is to set up.

  1. Set up Damascus Road, our church contemporary band.  We have had 3 weekends off because there were 5 Sundays in November, and we only play the first two Sundays of the month.  So I will move the chairs, music stands, microphone stands and microphones into place, move the piano into position (Thank the Lord its on casters!), and make sure everyone has the music they will need.
  2. Set up for the Women of St. James Cookie Exchange this Sunday.  I thought this would be an easy job, because it was almost already set up from the Advent Dinner last Sunday.  However, the Ladies’ Sewing Group is meeting in that room today, so everything has been moved out of place.  I prefer to think that God just is helping me to move more.  What do you think?

That’s it for today, dear friends.  Thank you so much for all the birthday love yesterday.  It was a very fun day.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Hoofing It and Chocolate Disappointment

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Day 115 in my hike to Mickey.

My plan for today was to park so I walked more.  I ended up at the mall this evening.  Since I had to wait for someone who was in a shopping frenzy, I decided to go and have my hair trimmed at the JC Penny Salon.  So I parked at the opposite end of the mall and walked all the way through to the salon.  Then I walked around a bit while I waited for our meeting time.  I hiked back to the car, and now I’m pooped, and I didn’t even shop.

My birthday is tomorrow.  I will be 59 years old, only one more year in my 50’s.  To treat myself I went to Fanny Mae to buy a few dark chocolate vanilla creams.  When I let myself have a sugary treat on a holiday, I find I want something really special.  Not just anything will do.  (Like something out of the movie Chocolat) Fanny Mae dark chocolate vanilla creams are the creme de la creme for me when it comes to candy.  I was so excited to have this wonderful treat tomorrow with a cup of coffee.  Well, my friends, God has a tremendous sense of humor.  I asked the girl behind the counter if they had any, and she assured me they did.  I grinned from ear to ear.  Then another girl walked out from the back room and said, “Oh, I’m so sorry.  We’re all out of those.  What else may I get you?”  I had to grin, in spite of myself, “No,” I said, “nothing else will do, but thank you anyway.”  I really do believe that God has my back on this thing.  That obviously wasn’t the right treat for my birthday.  PTLA!  Maybe for Christmas?

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Shout out to Jennie Carlson!  Happy birthday, dear Jennie!  Happy birthday to you…and many more!