Doylene's Daybook 2/8/10

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2010

For Today....The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY... from Doylene's Daybook

Outside my window...is a beautiful snow. It looks like a beautiful painting. Mama is as excited as a child would be. They didn't get this much snow before. We are surprised by it.

I am thinking..how wonderful it is to have such a wonderful Christian family. Yesterday was my nephew Jason's birthday. Happy Birthday Jason. I hope you had a great day.

I am thankful for... everything the Lord has provided for my family.

I am wearing...green doggy pj's and I have my feet in a warm foot massager. Feels great!

I am remembering...how much fun I have had this week with my three sisters and Mama. We have had a wonderful visit.

I am going... to be at Mama's a few more days. She is recovering from varicose vein surgery. 

I am currently reading...Songs of Angels by Perry Stone. A very good book.

I am hoping... to do some grocery shopping today. I wish I had gone yesterday. 

On my mind... is my husband Jerry. I'm hoping he is making it ok without me. I know he's lonely. 

Noticing that...I have done better this last week on my diabetes diet. The Dr Oz showed last week on the subject scared me straight.

Pondering these words... "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me."

From the kitchen..Mama and I will be having oatmeal and blueberries. For lunch I'm cooking pan fried Tilopia..

Around the house...we will just be relaxing after I do a little house work.

One of my favorite things.....is a relaxing day on a cold snow filled day.

From my picture journal...

Doylene's Daybookk Feb. 1, 2010

The Simple Womens Daybook 

Join our hostess Peggy and read other daybooks here.

FOR TODAY Feb. 1,  2010

Outside my window...It's a beautiful day here. The sun is shinning brightly. It's cold but will get warmer today. The snow is still here but it's beginning to melt.
 

I am thinking... that another month has gone by. I haven't exercised on my Wii Fit yet. I haven't stayed on my diet. I'm still eating kettle corn. For some reason I gain weight on it even though I skip a meal to have it.
 

I am thankful for... for all the many blessing we have from our heavenly Father. He is good to provide us with all our needs. I am thankful that all my children have great jobs. I'm thankful we are a Christian family.

From the learning rooms...Dakota will be watching and learning from her Our Baby Can Read program. She is learning so much. She loves Sesame Street, books of all kinds. She even loves books without pictures.
 

From the kitchen... Coffee and cereal today. I don't know what we will have for lunch. I'm making veggie soup with beef for supper.

I am wearing...thick fluffy pair of green panda pjs and footsies.

I am creating...a peaceful home where everyone is welcome and enjoyed.

I am going... to play with Dakota today and enjoy being with her. She doesn't like for me to be on the computer. She comes and gets me by the hand and pulls me away with her.

I am reading...Finding Purpose Beyond  Our Pain by Paul Meier and David Henderson.

I am hoping... that Mama's surgery on the 3rd. goes well and she heals quickly.

I am hearing... Dakota singing Caillou as she watches it on TV. I record the shows for her. She got tired of Sesame Street. It's a great program for little ones.

This is Dakota with her Mommy and Daddy in the snow.

Around the house... is a mess because we went to Conway yesterday to see our granddaughter Paige. She attends the Art Institute in Chicago and flew home for a three day visit. She's so beautiful inside and out. She's one of the sweetest person's I have ever met. She loves to bake and plans to be a pastry chef.

One of my favorite things... snow and I finally got my wish. We have about five inches. The grands had so much fun.

t

 This is my son JW , Porscha and Adi. They built this great snowman. Jaxson got cold and went inside.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... this is the week I go to Mama's home. I plan to go tomorrow and stay till the end of the week. I always enjoy myself there. Mama is lot of fun and seems to be my age instead of hers. My sister Carolyn will be there with us. Janice lives close and can visit any time. She is taking Mama for her leg surgery. I haven't heard from my sister Brenda. She works from her home so Mama didn't think she could come. I'm sure she will visit soon though.

 

  

My sisters and Mama on our Branson trip.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing.. I hope all of you have a great week. I plan to.

Buttermilk Pancakes

A Grandma At Heart

You can join us here at Foodie Friday to see other recipes.

I make a great buttermilk pancake, but I don't usually keep buttermilk in stock. That means an extra trip to the store Saturday morning if I feel like making pancakes. So, this Saturday, I decided to test the The New Joy of Cooking's Basic Pancakes recipe which uses ingredients every kitchen should always have in stock.

I used (from the top, clockwise) 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1-1/2 cup milk, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted), 2 large eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.


I combined the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) into a large bowl and whisked a little.


Now, I whisked the wet ingredients (milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla) together.


I then poured the wet ingredients onto the dry and whisk, but not too long. Just enough to combine thoroughly. If there are some lumps left, it's okay. When the batter cooks it'll smooth out and you won't taste it.


Joy of Cooking now says to fold in any additions now. I added some frozen blueberries that I thawed quickly in a some warm water and drained. This is where the recipe makes a fatal mistake. More on that later.


I then quickly prepare my two burner griddle. You can use an electric griddle as well. In both cases, the surface should be smooth and non-stick.


Turning both burners on, I heated the griddle until a few drops of water tossed onto the surface ran around franticly. (If the water jumps off the griddle, then turn down the heat. If the water just sits there, increase the heat.) Now, I melted a pad of butter onto the griddle to lubricate it.


Using a paper towel, I rubbed the butter around until it evenly coated the pan and I couldn't see any butter. You don't want too much fat on the griddle or you'll be frying the pancakes.


I scooped 1/3 cups of batter onto the griddle to make a pancake. This is when I discovered that the blueberries impeded the flow of the batter. Usually, when I make my buttermilk pancakes, I pour the batter out steadily onto one spot and it forms a near perfect circle. I then sprinkle my filling on top of the batter on the griddle. Now I know why. First, the batter doesn't flow evenly and forms alien shapes on the griddle because of the blueberries. Second, the blueberries are unevenly distributed and some pancakes have some and some have a lot. Don't make this mistake - put the fillings in after the batter hits the griddle, not in the batter. You might notice in this picture there's a big lump in the batter of the second pancake. Don't worry about that, it evens out and can't be tasted. The pancake will be tough if we over mix.


I cooked the first side until bubbles covered the pancake surface and begin to pop. I then flipped the pancake over.


Once the second side has lightly browned (about half the time it took to cook the first side), I removed and served. If you need to make a lot of pancakes, you can stack them on a plate in a 200°F oven. On Good Eats, Alton Brown recommends placing paper towels between each layer of pancake, but I find that it works for me to stack without the paper towel waste. Usually, Tina and I can't eat too many pancakes at a time, but I still make a full batch.


Extra pancakes can then be frozen. A quick trip to the toaster or toaster oven will produce homemade pancakes much better than the supermarket frozen kind. This picture is of a buttermilk pancake that came out very circular because the filling was added after the batter was poured on the griddle.


The results of the tasting proved that these pancakes were quite good - on par with the buttermilk pancakes. A little fruit topping or maple syrup and they resulted in a delicious breakfast. So, I've decided to promote this recipe from a Test Recipe to one for the Recipe File.

Basic Pancakes
Batter

1-1/2 cups (190 g) all purpose flour	mix	whisk briefly
3 Tbs. (38 g) sugar
1-1/2 tsp. (7 g) baking powder
1/2 tsp. (3 g) salt
3 Tbs. (45 g) melted, unsalted butter	whisk
1-1/2 cup (355 mL) milk
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

Posted by A Gracious Home at 7:45 PM

White Tea

Today I am enjoying white tea. I thought I would share some of the information I have found about white tea. I hope you enjoy reading it. I like to have English tiny cakes with my tea. I love it when the grands are here to share it with me. We get out the good china and tea set. We pretend we are English. Our ancestors came from England and I still feel very English at heart. God bless each of you and have a great cup of tea with me.  Doylene

Tea has been used as medicine for centuries. Now modern science is discovering what people in China and throughout the world have long known: tea is good for you. While green and black tea are very healthy, white tea is the least processed tea and has the highest antioxidant levels. It may be the supreme Drink of Health.

White Tea Antioxidants

Antioxidants are nutrients that protect the body from damage by free radicals. Free radicals are nasty things that go around wreaking havoc on your body, damaging DNA and accelerating aging. Antioxidants scoop them up and neutralize them. White tea is loaded with these protective nutrients.

Cancer Prevention

White tea may have profound power against cancer-causing cells and against many different types of cancer, such as colon, prostate, and stomach cancers. Flavonoids, a class of antioxidants, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent the development of new ones. In some cases, white tea has been found to work as well as prescription drugs, but without the side effects.

Lower Blood Pressure

Studies show that white tea can thin the blood and improve artery function. It helps lower high blood pressure and maintain a healthy one. By promoting strong and healthy blood vessels, white tea guards against the ravages of stroke.

Lower Cholesterol

Catechins, another group of antioxidants, have been found to reduce cholesterol, and white tea is teeming with them. Cholesterol is a special type of fat and is necessary for health. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, and white tea increases the good while decreasing the bad. This helps prevent hardening of the arteries and blockage of blood flow.

Heart Protection

By thinning the blood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cholesterol, white tea protects the heart and the entire circulatory system. Researchers have also discovered that people who drink 2 or more cups of tea a day are almost 50% less likely to die after suffering a heart attack. White tea is truly a remarkable heart tonic.

Stronger Bones

Studies have found that people who drank tea regularly had greater bone density and strength than non-drinkers. White tea may also have beneficial effects for sufferers of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Antibacterial & Antiviral

White tea is a natural killer of bacteria and viruses. The antioxidants so abundant in white tea tone the entire immune system, providing protection against a variety of invaders and a wide range of diseases. Its helps guard against the common cold and flu, and can ease the symptoms of HIV.

Healthy Teeth and Gums

White tea contains small amounts of fluoride and other nutrients which keeps the teeth strong and healthy. It also kills the bacteria which causes plaque, tooth decay, and bad breath.

Healthy Skin

Free radicals from staying out in the sun too long, stress, and a poor diet can damage the skin and cause it to prematurely age. By scavenging these free radicals, white tea protects the skin and helps to reverse some of the damage. Drinking white tea promotes healthy and radiant skin.

Other Health Benefits

White tea has many other benefits to offer. It may reduce blood sugar and help prevent and alleviate the symptoms of diabetes. It reduces stress and increases energy.
White tea may or may not aid in weight-loss. Studies suggest tea may increase metabolism and encourage the body to burn more fat, but a balanced diet and regular exercise are more likely to produce results. Still, adding white tea to your weight-loss plan can't hurt.

Review Of Health Benefits

By now you can see that white tea has a great range of effects on the body and a tremendous number of benefits to your health. Its supreme power is in preventing disease and disorder.
White tea protects against cancer, heart disease, and stroke, the leading causes of death in the industrial world, as well as numerous other conditions. It eases the symptoms of illness and promotes recovery. White tea strengthens the circulatory and immune systems as well as bones and teeth, and builds healthy skin.
It is a superb tonic and one of Nature's great gifts. We encourage you to add it to your life. To your good health!

FlyLady's Detailed Cleaning List - Zone 1

FlyLady's Detailed Cleaning List - Zone 1: The
Entrance, Front Porch, and Dining Room
This is my detailed cleaning list for Zone 1. Ensure you adapt it to fit your
home and family. If you are still decluttering, you are not ready for this
whole list, concentrate on decluttering only! BabySteps! - FlyLady
Entrance Detailed Cleaning List:
Start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor.
1. Clean cobwebs
2. Dust window sills and front door
3. Clean switch plate of hand prints and walls if needed
4. Put plants in to the shower and give them a good rinse. Let me set
there until you are finished.
5. Dust furniture
6. Dust baseboards
7. Straighten the coat closest
8. Sweep vacuum or mop the floor
9. Put back the plants. You would hate for DH to walk into a jungle
tomorrow morning. LOL
10. Add your own personal touches to make it more welcoming.
Dining Room Detailed Cleaning List
Start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor.
1. Clean the cobwebs
2. Dust window sills
3. Clean the window
4. Clean doors of china cabinet after you straighten dishes if they
need done. Dust
5. Clean and straighten any drawer
6. Clean off top of Dining table and Polish
7. Rinse plants in the shower
8. Dust the bottoms of the chairs.
9. Dust the baseboards
10. Move furniture and vacuum underneath (except the china cabinet)
I turned mine over one time. It was not funny.
11. Add your own personal touches to the table (table cloth, pretty
bowl, flowers)

The Simple Womens Daybook Jan. 25, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook 1.18.10
Join our hostess Peggy and read other daybooks here.

FOR TODAY January 25, 2010...

Outside my window...It's a beautiful day here. The sun is shinning brightly. It's cold but will get warmer today.

I am thinking... what a wonderful weekend we had. Janice, Hopppie and Branden spent Saturday night with us. Hoppie and Branden went fishing. Branden caught two fish. The third fish broke the line just as he pulled it in. Sat. night Madison was here for a short visit. Here's her picture.

I am thankful for... for all the many blessing we have from our heavenly Father. He is good to provide us with all our needs.

From the learning rooms...Dakota will be watching and learning from her Our Baby Can Read program. She is learning so much.

From the kitchen... I haven't had breakfast yet. I have had two cups of coffee. Hubby had to be up at 4:30 this morning. I feel like I didn't get much sleep. Lunch will be fried potatoes, blackeyed peas and cornbread. We are Southern you know. I made blueberry pancakes from frozen blueberries and Bisquick Pancake Mix that hubby bought. It's not very good. I will make pancakes from scratch from now on.

I am wearing... pink panda pjs and pink footies.

I am creating...a peaceful home where everyone is welcome and enjoyed.

I am going... to play with Dakota today and enjoy being with her.

I am reading...Clive Cussler's White Death.

I am hoping...we will get some snow Friday. The children need at least one good snow. I do too. When I was in Chicago it was snowing but we had to leave the next day for fear of getting snowed in. It was really beautiful. I didn't have my camera.

I am hearing...Dora. Dakota is watching Dora while I write this. 

This is Adi, Dakota and my daughter Darla.

Around the house...is clean. I did my house work early since I was up early. I'm so thankful that I'm feeling strong enough to do it. That's a praise report.

One of my favorite things...is watching the sun come up. Everything looks so fresh and clean. The colors are fantastic.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I think this is the week we will take a day trip to the Ozarks. We eat at the Ozark Cafe in Jasper, AR. It's a wonderful place that has been there for a hundred years. On the walls and tables are pictures of their history. We always enjoy it. On the corner is a Christian book store that I enjoy. The town is the home of the Endtime Handmaidens. That's a Christian retreat.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This is Mama, Jaxson and Adi.

 

This is my daughter Janice and me.

Scroll down to comment.