Horseback Riding Day

This morning my alarm went off at 5:45, and I think I turned it off in my sleep. I've been prone to do that once or twice in my life. At 6:09 my eyes opened again, and I realized what day it was. Horseback riding day!

My sister takes horseback riding lessons every Saturday, and usually I don't get to go watch because I have to work. But today the lesson was an hour earlier due to the heat, so I got to go! We had to leave at 6:50.

For breakfast I had a warmed up gluten-free bun with some raspberry jam on top. I was going to have it with apple butter, but found some disgusting mold in the jar, so jam it was. Sorry, no pic.

While my parents and I watched the lesson, I ate a Clif Nectar bar. I've never had one of these before, but saw them at the grocery store and decided to give them a try.


The verdict? I don't think I'll try this flavor again. For me the taste of the dates was too sweet. Normally I like a lot of cinnamon, but mixed with the dates it was just too overpowering. I will say that the bar definitely kept me full until we got home.

This is the horse my sister rides: Terra (short for Terracotta). She's so pretty!


We got back home from the equestrian academy at 9:30. I barely had time to whip up a bowl of oatmeal before heading to work.

Today's bowl featured: oats, soymilk, cinnamon, ground flaxseed, a cut up nectarine, blueberries, Bear Naked granola with freeze dried berries, and agave nectar. After I made it, I realized I forgot to add the pinch of salt that everyone says makes such a difference in flavor. There is always something I forget. Tomorrow.

All mixed up

Fraiche Yogurt!

Guess where I got to go last night! To the famous Fraiche frozen yogurt place in Palo Alto!


For those of you who haven't heard of it, Fraiche makes and sells their own homemade, organic yogurt and frozen yogurt. They also have a soy, lactose-free frozen yogurt, which is what I had last night. It was sooooo goood.

They offer a variety of toppings including fresh fruit, graham crackers, coconut, and shaved chocolate. I decided to get fresh mango and blueberries. Talk about to-die-for. The mango was so juicy. It was the perfect combo.


My mom and I went there around 8 PM, and the little place was jam-packed full of people. A bunch of college kids were working behind the counter, so things moved pretty quickly.

Because of the line, we did feel a bit rushed when it came to be our turn. Only after we ordered did we notice that they have an ollalie berry puree as a topping choice. I just might have to get that next time. My grandparents used to grow ollalie berries on their property, and I *love* them.

We also got two chocolate ones to take home to my dad and sister - one with coconut and one with graham crackers. They were pretty melted by the time we got home, especially since it was so hot outside, but the eaters thought they still tasted good. :-)


I can't wait to go back! Hopefully next time we'll be able to go at a less busy time.

Thursday Love

[Note: This is a cross-post from my main blog.]

It’s Thursday. *Hearts* Thursday is my favorite day of the week because that means I have two whole glorious free days at home before I have to go to work again. On Fridays I have the thought looming over my head that the next day will be a long day in the office, but Thursdays I feel free.

I woke up this morning in the middle of a dream when my alarm clock went off at 6. Ugh. My stack of books next to my bed reminded me that I am WAY behind in reading for book club, which is TONIGHT, so I guess I had better get up and get a move on. Devotions this morning was very convicting, and I’ll leave it at that.

After taking a shower I decided to turn on my computer and start writing next week’s post for my column on the HSB Front Porch. I did a little bit of work on it, and then went downstairs to have a nectarine. I ate it outside in the garden. There is just something about fresh, early morning air that makes me feel at peace. I watched the sun rise up over our house, then I went back in.

Next I did some more computer stuff. When I felt hungry again, I made oatmeal which included: oats, oat bran, soymilk, ground flaxseed, lots of cinnamon, 1 tsp. maple flavoring (smells just like old fashioned maple donughnuts, which I used to love, but can’t have anymore), and agave nectar. I heated up some Bing cherries and had those on top.

As I assembled breakfast, I thought about the long list of things on my to-do list for today. What to do first? I don’t know! I need to go dump my brain. Be back later.

A Not-Hungry Kind of Morning

This morning I woke up around 6ish and kept opening and closing my eyes, trying to rest, but not fall back asleep. Last night I stayed up later than usual reading in bed. Not good, but I knew I had to get up, so I did and did devotions.

I finally got out of bed at 6:25 to take a shower. But instead of going downstairs afterwards, I stayed in my room getting ready for the day and listening to a sermon mp3. I didn't feel hungry for breakfast.

See, if I eat too late at night after dinner, I'll wake up in the middle of the night with a tummy ache. That's what happened last night. Sigh. In the morning my stomach will still be bothering me, hence the not hungry feeling.

At 7:30 I finally went downstairs and had something easy on digestion: a peeled nectarine. (I peeled it after the photo.)

By about 8:45 I knew I should have a real breakfast, even though I still didn't feel hungry, so I made quinoa flakes. Only as it turned out, we were completely out of bowls. They were all in the dishwasher. After searching the cupboards, I finally found our Bunnykins bowls! My sisters and I used these china bowls when we were toddlers! Such memories...

I just might have to use it every morning from now on.

******

Here are some more food pics from yesterday that I just uploaded this morning:

Soy mint marble fudge ice cream with vegan chocolate pound cake (from Whole Foods)

Soy yogurt with fruit (bananas, blackberries, and grapes) and honey:

That's all for now!

Another Hot One

[Note: This is a cross-post from my main blog.]

This morning my eyes opened at 5:20 exactly. Ugh. Too early. I shut them again, and they reopened at 6:15. Okay, that's better. I sat up and did devotions with Chambers. Today's verse was Joshua 24:15. Coincidentally, I've been studying Joshua in Balancing the Sword for the past few weeks.

I got up and got ready for the day. When I walked past the thermostat in the hallway, I noticed it said 75 degrees. It's going to be another hot one today.

For breakfast I had oat bran again. After washing my dishes I went back upstairs, cleaned the bathroom counter, and got on my computer.



When I checked my email, I was delighted to find a message saying my new Ebook had officially been listed for sale in The Old Schoolhouse store! That made me happy. :-)

Since the air was warm already, I decided to go out and sit in the garden to work on more of my Balancing the Sword study. It was so peaceful. I think a cricket is living in our strawberry patch, because I heard him chirping away, as usual.

Around 10 AM I left to go do some errands - to the bank and library. A week or so ago I received my jury duty check in the mail that I needed to deposit. I also had a few library books due. My usual time for going to the library is after lunch, but I figured I'd go in the morning today before it got too hot. Good decision.

When I returned home I had a cold, juicy peach to hold me over till lunch. Then I worked on updating my 2008 reading list. I had gotten behind in recording the books I've read this year, so it's good to be mostly caught up again. One more thing checked off my to-do list.

For lunch I made a big salad with Romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumber, grapes, and raisins. Ack! I just realized I forgot the tomato! My last one from the Farmer's Market is sitting on the kitchen counter. Boo. How disappointing.



This afternoon the girls my sister babysits will be coming over for awhile. It feels like we haven't seen them in so long.

Well, I will leave you with a picture of the corn in our garden. It's time for me to go brave the heat to water!

Corn Tamales - Sweet!

When my mom and I went to Whole Foods last week, I found these gluten free corn tamales. The only veggie inside them is corn, so they taste sweet, instead of spicy. That's perfect for me! The package suggests having them with salsa... or with maple syrup for breakfast. Yum.

I had one for lunch today.

Yogurt and Fruit

A mid-morning snack:

Leftover fruit from dinner last night - canteloupe and blueberries - plus part of a freshly cut banana topped with plain soy yogurt and raw wildflower honey from the Farmer's Market. Soooo good. Sweet and cold - the perfect treat on a hot summer morning!


And half a wild blueberry flax muffin from Whole Foods (gluten-free) - good source of fiber and omega 3's.