Candy canes…not just for Christmas

Peppermint candy cane on my scanner (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was browsing Amazon earlier today.  Thought I’d look at candy (for the children, people, for the children).  I don’t know if you can get better deals on Amazon for candy.  Right now, with Halloween just around the corner, you can find some pretty good bargains in your local stores.  But while perusing the sweets, I found some pretty amazing treats.

Did you know they sell violet flavored candy?  Or rose flavored candy?  I’m assuming they taste like the flowers.  Come on, don’t turn up your nose.  I made lavender jelly once using lavender buds I’d grown myself and it was awesome.  The candy is probably equally as tasty.

Then there are various candies from Mexico, Greece, Brazil, Japan, and so on.  Not being much of a world traveler, I hadn’t heard of any of them.  And I wasn’t feeling all that adventurous so didn’t order any of them either.  But it was interesting to read about them.  No, I wasn’t bored.  I was doing research.

The candy that made my mouth drop open was the, oh, how shall I say this,  interesting flavors of candy canes.  Yep, you know those red and white striped confections shaped like a cane that you find everywhere at Christmas time?  Well, there are some unusual flavors out there. The thought of eating the pickle-flavored candy cane actually made my jaw ache.  And then there was the bacon-flavored candy cane.  Really, I’m not making this up.  I know a lot of you love, love, love bacon.  But a candy cane that tastes like bacon?  Wow.  Check it out for yourself…heck, go ahead and order it and let everyone know what it tastes like.

http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-12192-Bacon-Flavored-Candy/dp/B005OL1Q8K/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1379116521&sr=8-7&keywords=candy+canes

So, I guess it’s safe to say that candy canes aren’t just for Christmas any more.

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Pay it forward

Random Acts of Kindness : Owl (Photo credit: ericarhiannon)

You know, returning the favor, doing a good deed, even a random act of kindness.  Those are all ways we can pass along a little bit of our own good fortune.  Not too long ago, I was the one in need of a helping hand.  I didn’t have a car and couldn’t really afford to buy one.  I had a couple of good friends who were always there for me when I needed them (you both know who you are).  They took me places that were not always easy to reach on the bus or by walking…and they did it often.  They certainly made my life easier during that time and I’ll always be grateful to them.

Now I’m in a better place financially…have a good car and a little money put back.  So when my neighbor asked me yesterday if I could take her to the grocery store this afternoon, I didn’t even have to think about it.  I told her I’d be glad to do it.  And I really meant it.  I gave it some thought in the evening, recognizing that I didn’t feel pressured to do it or that I was being used.

As I continued to mull it over, I realized this was my way, not of paying my friends back (this won’t help them in any way at all), but I guess it’s kind of my way of paying the universe back.  I’ve often heard the phrase “pay it forward” and this is exactly what it’s about.  You return the favor to someone else entirely, someone who had nothing to do with helping you out originally.  My hope is that this lady may do some act of kindness for someone else in the future, but if not, that’s okay too.  If even half of us would do something nice for someone else can you imagine how much better our world would be?

Anyhow, this isn’t to demand that you go out and perform good deeds.  I’m simply throwing out there the thought of doing what you can to help someone else when the opportunity arises.  I kind of think you end up gaining more from it than the person you help does.  Have you ever had that experience when helping someone out?

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Fireworks?

English: 352nd Chikugo river Fireworks Festival which is held on 5th, Aug. 2011(Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes I’m not sure what people are thinking…or if they are at all.  Someone has been outside shooting off fireworks this evening.  It’s been really dry around here for the last six weeks or so and one little spark could cause quite the fire.  And, of course, it’s not even legal to be shooting fireworks  here in town anyhow.

Having said all of that, I’ll now tell you the real reason it makes me mad.  I hate it when people shoot off fireworks close to where I live because my poor little kitties get very nervous.  Right now, the kitten is huddled under the desk on my feet.  And Spook has been pacing back and forth growling.  Poor upset little babies!

So come on, people.  Can you possibly limit your fireworks activity to right around the 4th of July?  Okay, I’ll even throw in New Year’s Eve.  But unless you live out of town and there’s no danger of starting a fire, that’s it.

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Labor Day shenanigans

English: A pile of plain M&M’s candies. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well, first let me say, I had to work today and it was crazy busy from the get go.  Between dealing with the lady I hired for the office job (I’m starting to wonder if I may have made a mistake) and trying to deal with the event calendar, my morning somehow disappeared.  Then I pretty much spent the rest of the day running register.  Now you know we’re busy when I’m on register for an extended period of time.

We tried to have a managers’ meeting, probably not the best day for that.  I tried to get the cake decorating info in the book…again, not an ideal time to tackle that.  I finally just cleaned my mess up and ran register.  I was so glad when it was time for my hot and sweaty self to head on home.

I did swing by Kroger on the way home…being the bad girl I am, I bought a frozen pizza (that’s the tired me controlling the trying-to-eat-healthier me).  To give myself a little credit, I did only eat a fourth of it…along with about four glasses of water.  I also bought some fun-size M & M’s for Claire.  I’ve been keeping a little bowl on my coffee table with kid candy in it for her.  You should have seen her eyes light up when she saw those M & M’s (or, as she says, “nm n nms”).  She also chowed down on some string cheese.  Have you ever watched a little kid eat string cheese?  Not a pretty sight.

Claire and I visited for quite a while.  She wanted to help me feed the kitties…not that it requires much help…open a can and divide it up on two saucers.  Then she wanted to go through my purse.  Just had a thought, I hope she’s not really a midget spy for a major crime ring…memorizing all of my credit card info….

Now  I’m worn out and just about ready for bed.  How’s that for a fun-filled Labor Day?  At least I have tomorrow off and no pressing engagements to take care of.

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Here’s to a healthy September

I like this take on the traditional food pyramid – note the incorporation of water (and tea, it says) along with physical exercise at the top. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hard to believe it’s September, isn’t it?  Where in the world did the summer disappear to?  Since seeing my doctor last week, I’ve decided to rededicate myself to living a little healthier.  You know the drill, eat better, move more, go to sleep earlier, reduce stress.  We all know that’s how to be healthier, but it’s easier to talk about it than it is to actually do it.

Anyhow, when I saw my doctor, we talked about my pain and sleep issues.  Of course, my weight has to have some impact on everything.  I promised her I’d work on eating better and exercising more.  She’s very understanding about how difficult it is to exercise vigorously when I’m in so much pain.  She did suggest several forms of exercise that are a little gentler on my joints, so now I really have no excuse.

I started the month off with my calorie intake at the low-end of the range and 35 minutes of walking.  And of course, I visited SparkPeople.com to log everything.  Now to get some sleep…

Do you guys try to lose weight before the holidays so you can splurge a little at all of those holiday shindigs?  I’ve  done that in years gone by, not sure how well it worked for me though.  I think this year I’m just going to try to eat healthy most of the time and have a little something extra maybe once a week…so Donna, maybe you shouldn’t bring your delicious peanut butter cookies to work…

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