HELLO OLD FRIEND, AND A GIVEAWAY!

It seems like I've spent most of my life as a Weight Watchers follower. It started in my teens when Mom decided to join and, as we all know, if mama is on WW, everyone is on WW. I got interested again when Hubby and I moved back from our honeymoon years in Indonesia and Bahrain. We may have gone just a tad crazy with the plethora of food choices we suddenly had available to us, after three years of nothing but the basics. WW was also responsible for helping me to lose all of my "baby fat" after each pregnancy, and for helping me get everything under control when I hit menopause and things went a bit haywire. I transferred my membership here to Wimberley when I moved here ahead of my hubby, but within a month or two our franchise got shut down, and I've been winging it on my own ever since.

Turns out, I didn't really miss it when I was here alone. What with all the exploring and walking I was doing, fixing up the house, planting the garden, getting to know all our local growers and producers while helping to launch The Bountiful Sprout, and learning to cook simple meals with what was in season and locally grown, I lost about 15 pounds without even trying!

Then Hubby finally retired and joined me here, and going out to restaurants was a lot more fun with him along. Plus, I went back to cooking more elaborate, meat-centered meals. Then the kids were all in Austin, and there were weddings and a grandkid, and I turned 65, and for the first time ever, I never got around to lose my "Christmas 5" last year, and then there was another 5 this Christmas, and, well...

But, then a miraculous bit of synchronicity occurred. First, I heard that WW had finally reopened here in Wimberley. Then, I discovered that my beloved Blue Apron meal delivery service had teamed up with WW, and we now had the option of receiving meals that fit in with all the WW Freestyle program guidelines, with all the points and nutritional information included. Woohoo!

Well, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that when synchronicity comes a-knockin', you really oughtta let her in!

P.S. If any of you are doing WW, and would like to give the Blue Apron Freestyle meals a try for free, I have 5 free box deliveries that I'm allowed to award to anyone who has never received one or been a member of Blue Apron before. Each box contains everything you need for three complete meals, and is worth up to $72! So, first 5 of you who send your name and email to me at btlane53@gmail.com will get signed up to receive one. 

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Bounty From The Bountiful Sprout, A Local Food Co-Op I Helped Launch After Reading This Book

Many moons ago I read an amazing book that answered so many questions about what we eat and why, so I decided to share it as part of my "Year of Reading Dangerously" give-away back in '09.

 WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?

ADDED INCENTIVE

AND THE WINNER IS...

Happy Reading, and EATING!
  

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: THINGS THE TUSCANS TAUGHT ME

This one includes a simple recipe, perfect for this time of year!

FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: SIMPLIFY

The next book in our year of reading dangerously was a tiny little book with a great big message -- Simplify Your Life. Looking at my life now, compared to the one I had when I first read it, I feel quite proud of all I accomplished over the years. Well, in all but one rather important area -- getting my hubby on board with the program. That boy sure does love his "stuff"! 

FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: YOU ARE CREATIVE, WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT

The next book in my Year of Reading Dangerously was Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way -- a real life-changer for me. It's the one that made me realize one doesn't have to be born with a pen or paint brush in one's hand, creating masterpieces by the time one is in grammar school, in order to be creative. All you really need to learn is how to shush your internal (and sometimes external) critics, and open yourself up to the creativity that flows through all of us. Julia Cameron knows just how to do that. Trust me. If I can do it, anyone can!

 FLASHBACK

 

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: MY FIRST FOODIE MYSTERY TRAVEL GUIDE

Who out there has never read anything by Peter Mayle? If not, why not?

His most famous book, A Year in Provence -- based on his and his wife's real life experiences -- was the 2/1/09 giveaway in my Year of Reading Dangerously, and had much to do with my determination to live a life imbued with "seasonality". It also made a trip to Provence the #1 item on my bucket list, which finally got crossed off in June of 2011, when we took our Viking River Cruise there.

 

The best part of the trip, however, happened after we disembarked from the cruise, and headed off on our own to spend a few days in Marseilles. You see, I had just finished reading one of Mayles' mystery novels called The Vintage Caper, which took place in Marseilles. And, using that as our only guidebook, we had one of the best adventures, and ate one of the greatest meals, of our lives!

Ever since, I have made a point to seek out and read at least one novel (preferably one written by a foodie) before heading off to a new country.

P.S. For any of you who are considering a trip to Cuba, I highly recommend the novel I just finished reading, Next Year In Havana, by Chanel Cleeton. It's one of Reese Witherspoon's book club picks, and one that I sincerely hope she ends up making a movie out of!
 

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: TASHA TUDOR AND LIVING AN AUTHENTIC LIFE

Welcome to the next episode in our year of reading dangerously, The Private World of Tasha Tudor, by Tasha Tudor and Richard Brown.

FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: SIMPLE ABUNDANCE

Next up in our year of reading dangerously? Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Enjoy!

 FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: A REASONABLE LIFE

Have you ever picked up a book on a whim, and had it alter the course of your life? That's what this second book in my year of reading dangerously did for me. Or, perhaps it didn't actually alter my course. Maybe it just confirmed what I already knew in my heart to be true, and gave me the confidence to act upon it. And, considering the state that our country is in right now, I'm thinking it might just be time for me to pick that book up once again, just to make sure I haven't strayed too far off the path to "a reasonable life". 

FLASHBACK 

 

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE WITH FOOD

Today I present to you the first book I gave away in my Year of Reading Dangerously, back in my early days of blogging. I must warn you though. Prepare to be longing, not just for taste, but also for a sense of place. 

FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: DANGEROUS READING

If I had to choose my favorite posts I've ever done, in more than ten years of blogging, it would most certainly be the series I called "My Year of Reading Dangerously." I think perhaps it's time for me to revisit that series, not just for your reading pleasure, but also to remind myself exactly what brought us to this special place, and what we hoped to accomplish here. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

FLASHBACK

P.S. Sorry I won't be able to repeat the give-away, as I even gave away several of my own beloved books the first time, when I was unable to track down extra copies of them.
 

SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDENS

As soon as we finished up with breakfast at Guenther House we headed over to the Botanical Gardens, hoping to get there while it was still halfway cool. Why yes, we DID have free passes to that as well. However, it's definitely worth whatever they charge to get in! It's located in the Brackenridge Park area, near the fabulous Japanese sunken garden that I told you about here.

Not only did they have a great display of "savage plants", complete with a few ginormous sculpture replicas...

they also had a pretty good collection of native plants from each part of Texas, as well as some mighty fine scarecrows. I liked this one best.

We spent all morning there, and barely covered half the property.

 

Guess we'll just have to go back again to see the rest, huh?

SAN ANTONIO III: A PIONEER BREAKFAST

Day three in San Antonio was our really big day -- the only one where we bothered to take our car out of the hotel's parking garage. Therefore, it was the perfect day to start off with a hearty breakfast, even if it meant twiddling my thumbs until Hubby was ready to wake up.

 
Have you ever used Pioneer biscuit, gravy, pancake or corn bread mixes? Well, those are produced right here in San Antonio at a mill established on the San Antonio River, a mile south of the Alamo, by young German immigrant C.H. Guenther in the mid-1800s.

Right next to it, on the edge of the King William District (a wonderful place to stroll if you are fond of historic homes) he built a home for his family. In 1988 the Guenther House was restored and opened to visitors as a museum, restaurant, and River Mill Store.

And, as luck would have it, one of the gift certificates in our prize package entitled us to a breakfast for four at the Guenther House. Hubby opted for their infamous biscuits and sausage gravy.

I decided to try the pancake of the day, which happened to be an oatmeal pancake that day. YUMMO!

Since our certificate was for four, and we were only two, they insisted that we take some of their lovely strudels and pastries back to the hotel with us. How could we refuse?

Afterwards we climbed upstairs to see more of the house, and to check out the shop and museum.

Hubby made a very good start on his Christmas shopping, which will come as no surprise to anyone who knows him well.