This is one of those smorgasbord posts that is a jumbled heap of ideas, questions, and reflections. There is no neat and tidy way to move between items (I do love a good segue), so let’s just start with the first thing on my mind right now.
Good books. Namely these two:
The Comeback by Lily Chu. This was such a fun book which I checked out of the library based on a hearty recommendation from Engie. It reminded me a bit of Nora Off Script. Relatable, PG-13, great dialogue. As always, I found the middle half lagged a bit, so I’d rate it 4.5/5 stars.
Remember Love: Words for Tender Times by Cleo Wade. 5/5 This book gets ALL THE STARS FROM ME. I know poetry is hit or miss, but if you like Maggie Smith, I would suggest you check out Remember Love by Cleo Wade. My library doesn’t have a copy of Heart Talk, so I may just order that book (I never order books before I read them first at the library, so this says all you need to know). I felt seen and heard and comforted by her words and reflections.
Protein powder. I am now including it in fruit smoothies each morning and I plan to make some more protein powder/nut butter cookies. What else do you do to incorporate protein powder into your diet? How many shakes do you have a day?
What about flax? I inherited a bag of ground flax (don’t ask) and I don’t feel like making homemade Aussie bites (how I used to use all my flax). I’ve started adding a bit to the aforementioned smoothies, but what else can I do with extra flax?
Extra apples. I have about 6 apples that are too past their prime for raw eating. I don’t feel like making a cake or even muffins, really, and don’t have any desire to make homemade applesauce. I want something easy, delicious, and relatively nutritious…which feels like a tall order. Ideas?
Finally, I have too many red lentils in my house. Please tell me an easy, delicious, lentil recipe.
As part of my Year of Shmita, I want to delve into the idea of Sabbath in many forms. As a launching point, I want to honour the Biblical principle of a day off more concretely than I have in the past, and one of the big barriers for me is cellphone use. We no longer have a home phone line and I NEED to have my phone on, especially when I’m solo, but I want to set my phone aside from Saturday evening to Sunday evening and not send/receive texts. Do other people do this? I feel like I get so many texts over the weekend and sometimes it’s last-minute social arrangements that I sometimes want/need to accommodate. I was thinking of circulating a text (ironic, I know) to people who regularly communicate with me to let them know that I’m planning to observe a digital Sabbath from Saturday – Sunday, and if they want/need me to please CALL. Texts and e-mails won’t be answered until Sunday evening or Monday morning. I know there will have to be exceptions, mostly because I am solo a lot and sometimes John needs to text me when he can’t call or things like L’s basketball team communicates only via e-mail so I’d have to check in at least once if I suspect there might be a cancellation. All that to say I haven’t fleshed out the details of what it will look like, but I’m open to any suggestions of things I might want to consider.
I got a gift card for a local home goods store this Christmas and I think I might buy a pretty “Sabbath box” for my phone. Is this crazy? I think it would be both whimsical and deeply symbolic to have a dedicated space to set my phone aside for that 24 hours. Bonus points if it’s aesthetically pleasing.
New Year’s Eve was fashionably low-key. I was in pajamas by 6:30 pm and in bed by 8 pm. I heard fireworks around 9:30, but was too lazy to get up from bed and look out the window. I had to do a few year-end things for work and did those in loungewear.
New Year’s Day was relaxed; I went on a long walk with Joy, took a short nap, and organized a few drawers. Oh, and we dismantled the tree. A sad event, but it had to happen sometime and I really wanted to start the kids back to school with a “clean slate” at home.
I ended up having a headache I couldn’t shake all afternoon, so I puttered around doing easy meal prep work while the kids + John watched the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (they had watched the first movie the day before; I love these movies but have seen them more than enough times so was happy to have a wide-open afternoon to myself!).
And today was the first day back to school. It was a shorter-than-usual break which was…perfect. This was such a wonderful Christmas holiday for our family. I am still marveling at how well the kids got along. It really and truly made my Christmas – very little fighting and a lot of genuine love and affection between the two. (Never fear – they were back to fighting this morning before school, so the magic spell is over.)
I am doing Yoga with Adriene’s 30 Days of Flow series in January; the first video went live today and it felt awesome! I did it right after a 10-3-30 workout which I spent listening to an Ezra Klein podcast all about the Jewish Sabbath (fitting, no?).
Okay. That’s it for random musings. Even though we’re back to school and routines, since university classes don’t start back for another week I have a lovely lull in student requests…and I get to bask in the delight of knowing I have no project management responsibilities moving forward! I shredded all my meeting notes over the weekend and it felt AMAZING! Plus, most of the kids’ extracurriculars don’t start back in earnest until next week so we can ease into 2024.
Your turn. What random things are on your mind today? Did you stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year? Do you have any great lentil recipes? Does anyone want to join me on a quasi-digital Sabbath? Is anyone else doing Flow series with Adriene this month?
Header photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash
Kelsey
I love these bits and bobs kind of posts! For protein powder I aim to make a shake/smoothie per day and I use two scoops although I’m pretty focused on strength training and weight lifting lately. So far I don’t regularly use protein powder in baking but I’d like to do more of that this year. For the apples, some kind of lower sugar crumble, so chop up the apples, mix with some cinnamon, tad of brown sugar and make a lower sugar oatmeal crumble topping? Or maybe some kind of a apple baked oatmeal situation?
Red lentils! We cook with these all the time. Here are my to go-to recipes, the first of which I have leftovers of in my fridge right now (yum):
https://www.kitchentreaty.com/slow-cooker-pumpkin-chickpea-red-lentil-curry/
https://peasandcrayons.com/2017/02/vegetarian-lentil-tortilla-soup.html (I never add the cream to this one)
I was going to suggest the sabbath episode of EK and love that you’ve already listened. I should relisten to start the year. I love the idea of a ceremonial sabbath box for your phone!
I’d also like to go very low tech on Sundays and weekend generally and do an okay job. Would love to recommit for the new year. I was asleep by 9 on NYE and instead prefer to wake up early on the first day of the year, have coffee in the peace and quiet and journal about my wished for the new year.
Elisabeth
Bits and bobs – my friend from the UK always says this and I LOVE it. Such a delightful saying.
Those lentil recipes sound delicious and I’m anxious to try both in the coming weeks.
The Sabbath episode was so helpful and I’ve already ordered some of the books he mentions.
Unfortunately I have a child who despises cooked apples (in any form), or I’d love the apple baked oatmeal option. Yum, I love baked oatmeal! I think I’m going to try them in a slow cooker with cinnamon, a sprinkle of sugar or honey, and a bit of butter. I have plain Greek yogurt in the house and feel like a spoonful of stewed apples might be just the thing I need to add some oomph to my yogurt!
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
I’m brainstorming digital Sabbath options. The only thing that I can come up with is putting your phone on do not disturb so that you don’t get notifications and then checking it at set intervals when you’re solo/might have social events/might be getting baseball cancellations. This is a tough one because it’s still not the total break that you’re looking for. A while back I turned off notifications for everything that I don’t need – for example I don’t get notifications from any social media, I just go on them a few times a day when it’s convenient for me. If I’m expecting something then I go on them more frequently.
I don’t think that it’s crazy at all to get a “Sabbath box” for your phone – I think that it’s lovely.
Elisabeth
So I’ve set a new message for my Driving Focus (the only preset Apple has that allows for auto-replies) – basically it says: if you’re getting this message I’m observing a digital sabbath and will be back online at X time. If you need me for any reason, call!
I’m excited about my Sabbath box!
NGS
This comment is going to jump around from topic to topic in the spirit of the original post. Go with it.
1) I use flaxseed in place of wheat germ in my granola recipe. If you ever make homemade granola (or oatmeal), it’s a great alternative.
2) This is a good, easy lentil soup recipe. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016062-red-lentil-soup
3) I honestly feel like me doing a digital detox right now would be irresponsible. I think I could definitely do something like putting my phone on DND for chunks of a day (with exceptions for my husband, mom, or sister), but I just feel like I should be available if emergencies come up, so I don’t think I would go longer than maybe 2-3 hours. Now that I think about it, I sort of do this with some frequency because my phone is usually on a different floor of the house when I’m home, so I regularly go hours without checking it. I don’t know. I think this is super individual, but I would definitely not make the digital detox at a time when I know I regularly get a lot of communication.
4) I’m in the middle of doing Adrienne’s 30-day Breath series. I don’t do it every day, so I imagine I’ll be doing it for awhile and then maybe I’ll move on to Flow.
Elisabeth
I think one of the reasons I need to do the detox on the weekend is because I get easily pulled away from rest by (almost exclusively) non-urgent texts. It’s simply not feasible to not have my phone on/available when the kids are in school and during the workweek. So that only leaves me the weekend. Saturday is our busier day since Sunday activities are largely mapped out for us since church dominates the morning.
I’m going to give it a try this weekend (5 pm Sat to 5 pm Sun) and see how it goes. I can always pivot as needed.
Thanks for the recipe – it looks yummy!
Lisa's Yarns
I’m not sure, but I think there are settings on the iPhone that allow you to send an automated response if your phone is in DND mode – so you could write something saying you are observing a phone sabbath and to call with emergencies or something like that?
I do not use protein powder! If I had flax to use up, I would put it in my oatmeal where it could meld with everything and not be detectable.
I did not stay up late on NYE. It was like a regular Sunday night for me. I was probably asleep by 9:30! Phil stayed up to watch the Vikings lose to the Packers. I watched the first half and could see where the game was going so opted to go upstairs and read. I haven’t stayed up until midnight on NYE for many many years!!
Elisabeth
Yup – there is and I went ahead this afternoon and got it all ready for this weekend (and I basically wrote almost exactly what you mention in this comment – we really do think alike!).
I haven’t been eating oatmeal as much lately – I go through stretches where I eat it daily and then lose steam for a while. But flax would be very easy to “hide” in oatmeal. Great idea.
Staying up until midnight is overrated.
Jan Coates
Apple crisp – my go-to for not-great apples; lots of oatmeal, not much brown sugar/butter. And I’m going to try that Yoga Flow video – starting tomorrow. Thanks!
Elisabeth
Oooh – I’m thrilled to have you join the flow series. It’s always fun to know other people are participating in a shared event in their own little “spheres.” I really enjoyed Day One.
Sam
I recently cooked apples in butter with cinnamon. They were a great topping for cereal, oatmeal, or just a yummy snack.
Elisabeth
This – I am doing this! I looked up a recipe and have the apples all sliced and ready in the slow cooker. I’m going to do cinnamon, a sprinkle of corn starch, brown sugar and butter. I have a tub of plain Greek yogurt and bet a spoonful of these apples would be a divine topping! Maybe with a bit of granola sprinkled on top for good measure?!
Melissa
I put linseed (or LSA and chia seeds) in my porridge for extra protein.
I love this red lentil dahl. It’s super easy, quick and filling. https://biancazapatka.com/en/red-lentil-dahl/
I also like to add red lentils to pumpkin soup to bulk it up.
When I do a digital fast, I normally just avoid the internet because I don’t get a heap of text messages I don’t count them. For what you want if you have an iphone set up a focus session that only allows notifications from specific people/groups. https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/iph21d43af5b/ios. I think I remember you have an apple watch? The notification settings should carry over to that? Then you could put your phone away but still get notified on your watch if something important came through. I don’t know whether this would actually work, but worth a try. (I don’t have an Apple watch)
We also had a quiet New Year’s Eve and I didn’t stay up.
Elisabeth
I do have an Apple Watch but that’s actually one of the things I struggle with. I often have my phone “away” but then a notification on my watch pulls me in. I think some of this has to do with my personality. I always want to “clear my decks” (I am an Inbox Zero type of person). So when I get a notification, I almost always feel obligated to respond even if it’s not technically “important.” I think I need to pause notifications to my watch over the digital fast.
Though I know for A LOT of people their Apple Watch helps them reduce screen time, I feel like my overall time spent on my phone is relatively low, I just don’t have a good tolerance for not checking when texts come in. I want to free myself of feeling tethered to answering every ding as soon as it arrives….
Yum. That dahl looks delicious. I think I need to make a batch of something thick with lentils and freeze it into small containers and add one each day to my quinoa/veggie salads. What a great way to add some flavour and texture to my lunches!
Joy
Baked apple chunks: cut into bite size pieces, toss in a tablespoon or two of brown sugar and a dash or two of cinnamon, put in bowl and add a tablespoon of butter cut up. Cover and microwave for 5-7 minutes until soft. Serve and spoon ” sauce” over the chunks. My favorite way of using up apples.
I love the idea of a box.
Elisabeth
I have apples sliced in a crockpot, but the microwave is an even better idea *facepalm*
I plan to do this and then top plain Greek yogurt with the stewed apples. I might get extra fancy and sprinkle on some store-bought granola. Now I’m hungry!
I will make sure to take a picture of said box once I make my way to the store to buy it! Hopefully it’s a productive search and I find a box worthy of corralling my phone during these Sabbath experiences.
Shelly
One of my go to’s for recipes is Cookie and Kate. Google her Best Lentil Soup.
I like the idea of DND and checking twice a day. I get snippets of text on my Fitbit. Enough to know if I can ignore which I like and then doesn’t tether me to my phone.
I hope there are other commenters for protein powder as I would love ideas as well.
And I will be looking up the flow series!
Elisabeth
I wish I could ignore unimportant texts, but it sets my brain to ON mode and I always feel like I need to close the proverbial loop. Sigh.
I’ve only done the first day of the yoga series, but so far, so good!
Suzanne
I have sliced apples, sprinkled with cinnamon and a teeny bit of sugar, and fried in the air fryer with good results.
Love the idea of a special box for your phone. I am excited about your digital Sabbath plan! It sounds great, if challenging.
Elisabeth
I’m going to do this in a crockpot tomorrow to top my yogurt.
I think my biggest challenge with the Sabbath is the fact that not everyone else is doing it. That was a very interesting point in the podcast episode I listened to today; for Sabbaths to REALLY work, it requires buy-in from everyone which is…unlikely! But I can only control myself and this feels like a good and valuable first step.
Sara
I looove to add protein powder to oatmeal (flax can also be added!), pancake mix (adds more protein and is a nice change instead of adding syrup). Also, sprinkling flax on a sliced banana or in yogurt adds extra fiber to keep me fuller. Also, because I seem to be on an oatmeal kick–flax, apples, oatmeal, cinnamon and either yogurt or milk overnight with some pb–divine.
I love the idea of a box. I have been intrigued by an instagram account/concept @goaronow –it’s a whole concept of changing your relationship to your phone. Honestly, it’s why I have LOVED having an apple watch. I can scroll through the texts and if it isn’t urgent/emergent never pick up my phone. Same with an email as it pops up the notification briefly on my watch and if it isn’t from someone I am waiting to hear from/need to respond to I just don’t.
Elisabeth
When I read this comment I immediately went to the kitchen and prepped some overnight oats. I haven’t done that in…years (used to be a go-to for me). Thanks for the inspiration.
Unfortunately, I have a real challenge putting unimportant texts on my mental back-burner. When I see the notification pop up on my Watch I feel like I need to deal with it. It’s much nicer than pulling out my phone and I often just reply with an emoji or short sentence from my watch, but it pulls my attention away from the present. And that’s really what I want to avoid moving forward. I want a time when I’m far less…distractable.
I’m amazed so many readers are so good about being able to ignore non-urgent texts. Sigh. I’m horrible at this 🙁
coco
I love seeing your favorite books! so different in genre will check them out.
I just made this soup yesterday and really enjoying it with some rice and extra tofu for breakfast/lunch, https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-golden-curry-lentil-soup/
I still don’t like protein smoothies so I usually add it to my oatmeal. if you find other good ways to incorporate it, please share.
Cellphone is big distraction. I did two things last year, charge the phone in another room when I am sleeping; and put it on focus mode from 6:30pm to 8:30am, so I don’t get texts even if I’m holding the phone for my run, podcast, workout plans. This year, after being disconnected for 12 days, I feel my reliance on it has declined further. I plan to have the phone in focus mode regardless of the time of the day when I am with the family. All the important people that needs to contact me are with me, so no urgent texts need to be checked. I find disconnecting from the phone is not as hard once we form new habit to “kill” time when we have just few minutes, like tidy up, write some notes, think?, or just rest. changing the default of how we occupy ourselves is not that hard if we give it a chance. I think it’s a good idea to let others know if you plan to store your phone away for extended time, so people don’t get worried.
Elisabeth
Oh that recipe looks so good and…yum. I haven’t had anything with fresh ginger. Why? It’s so delicious! I need to buy ginger the next time I’m at the grocery store.
This line stopped me short: “All the important people that needs to contact me are with me, so no urgent texts need to be checked.”
YES, YES, YES (my parents never text and always call, so I know it’s not my parents texting me). Love how you put this and it’s a very helpful reframe for me.
Christa
https://www.simplyquinoa.com/detox-moroccan-lentil-soup/
sarah
I am such an old lady that I actually BUY flax— I sprinkle it on yogurt, salads, and oatmeal, use it as an egg sub in banana bread and muffins, and put it in granola bars when I make them. Love the digital sabbath plan, and the box is a great idea. ALL digital communication, though? Like, you are not checking email/reading blogs on your computer, etc— or JUST phones? I actually think this is a great book idea/ title.
Elisabeth
I’ve used it before as an egg sub, too. It works well.
I need to move it into a container; right now it’s in a bag and it’s a nuisance to use for quick purposes (like sprinkling), but I feel like I could incorporate it A LOT of ways. And salad? I have salad every day for lunch and it would never (never) have crossed my mind to add it to that.
Yes, basically all digitial comms for those 24 hours. No blogs, no news.
Jenny
Your kids went back to school already? That’s early! Angie doesn’t go back till next Tuesday. I agree- my goal is always to get Christmas put away by the time the kids go back to school. Otherwise it gets REALLY depressing.
For protein powder- I just put it in a shaker cup with water, and drink it plain. Mine tastes pretty good, and that’s my lunch at work. Or sometimes I put a scoop in my oatmeal, or I put some in waffles. And for the red lentils… I still recommend the recipe that Suzanne posted (but it orginally came from Julie) for red lentil soup with warm spices. Suzanne had it in her “dinners this week” post a month or two ago.
For the phone… my son has his set up so he can put it on a do not disturb mode at night, but if I (or my husband) were to call him twice, it would alert him. Maybe everyone else already knows how to do this, but I don’t! My son is going to show me. So you could just alert anyone who usually texts you that you won’t be checking for 24 hours, and John could get through if he needed to. It sounds like a great experiment, and I want to hear how it works out!
Elisabeth
It IS early. Most other provinces don’t go back until next week. I am not complaining. I love having the shorter break. Everyone stayed healthy and happy and didn’t get too antsy. Plus, we end up missing SO many days each winter to weather. I’m all for the short break (though I realize not everyone is so happy).
It does feel depressing to have the kids back and the decor still up. Aside from two wreaths and an evergreen swag, EVERYTHING is dismantled and away and that feels incredible.
I have a post tomorrow about my digital ideas for the “focus” and it largely mirrors what you’re discussing here about your son!
San
Happy New Year my friend. I felt pretty unplugged over the holiday break and did not look at my Feedly, hence the catching up I’ll be doing (in reverse order this time, so I comment on the most recent posts first – I usually do it the other way around).
I have two lentil soup recipes that I love and can send your way, if you’re interested. There’s also a lentil bolognese sauce you can make with pasta.
Re: the digital sabbatical, I think it’s a great idea in theory… I don’t know if I could do it on the weekends though (because I communicate with far away family and friends a lot over the weekend). It’s probably best to allow yourself a set time where you check emails/texts in that 24 hour period and maybe alert people that you might not respond over the weekend.
I am excited you’re doing the daily yoga series in January. I feel that daily yoga is so beneficial.
I put protein powder in pancakes and other baked goods, same goes for flax. I add it to my rye-bread and you can also add it to oatmeal.
I had to chuckle that you were in bed by 8 pm on New Year’s Eve. I know many who didn’t stay up til midnight. I usually do but I don’t frown upon people who don’t 😉
Elisabeth
Ohhh. I’ve love the lentil bolognese sauce, please!!!
I am SORE from the yoga, but it has been great so far.
I haven’t been up until midnight on NYE in years (unless it has been with a sick child – that has happened at least once – SIGH)
Nicole MacPherson
I keep ground flax in my freezer and I use it for flax eggs, as an egg substitute for baking. 1 tbsp of flax with 3 tbsp water = one egg! It doesn’t work for everything but it works for most things. I also have two smoothies a day, one at breakfast and one at lunch. You know my secret recipe! (not so secret, I will always tell all). I have some recipes on YMC with lentils: tacos https://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/nicole-macpherson-meatless-mummy-con-carne/20150204/taco-about-a-revolution-lentil-tacos
Stew https://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/nicole-macpherson-meatless-mummy-con-carne/20150113/savoury-lentil-stew-recipe
Chili https://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/nicole-macpherson-meatless-mummy-con-carne/20151220/vegetarian-chili-lentils-recipe
Granola bars https://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/nicole-macpherson-meatless-mummy-con-carne/20160815/chewy-nut-free-high-protein-granola-bars
Snack loaf https://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/nicole-macpherson-meatless-mummy-con-carne/20131010/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-snack-loaf-recipe
I think that’s all!
Elisabeth
These are awesome; I’m especially stoked to try the tacos and granola bars. Yummy. Lentils are so versatile. (I often add lentils to my chili and it’s DELICIOUS and gives it extra oomph).
And yes to freezing ground flax! I do that with coffee and yeast, too.
Corey
If you don’t want to eat the flax, my SIL made these amazing eye pillows filled with flaxseed and lavender oil. It was way less poky than rice.
I love the idea of a tech sabbatical. I think if you have an iphone, you can put it on Focus/Driving mode and set up an automatic reply. It could say something like “I will respond to your text after my sabbath on Monday. If this is urgent, please call.”
Elisabeth
That’s exactly what I now have set up!!! (The “driving” mode is the only way to do an auto-reply, but you can customize the message, so they don’t think I’m driving and it just reflects my digital sabbath.)
Kyria @Travel Spot
I put flax (and chia) in my oatmeal every time I make it and it is a great way to get that extra boost of fiber! I also put it in any recipe that calls for flour, like pumpkin bread etc. I just put about an 8th or quarter of a cup instead of whatever flour I am using, so it does not take away from the texture and/or taste of the item. You can also make a “flax egg” and use that instead of a regular egg in any other baking recipes. Don’t quote me but it is something like a tbsp of flax and three tbsp of water, stir, let sit for a few minutes and voila.
I see you have a lot of comments about your digital sabbath, so maybe don’t need more advice anymore, but my method is to put my phone on DND but allow certain people to come through. Even on regular days I also often just put my phone on silent and check it once per hour or two hours, clear notifications and then put it back away, so that way I am not responding to every single distraction as it comes in.
Elisabeth
This is so smart. I feel like I have to handle my phone a lot (for example, two of my work e-mail accounts require 2-step authentication and I have to use my fingerprint on my phone for that). BUT, even in the last few days I’m streamlined some things.
Overall, I think my phone use is low (1-1.5 hours/day) but that is still SO much time on a little screen. That said, I don’t want to throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Some aspects of my phone are amazing – like taking photos, connecting with friends, being able to Google things at the grocery store. I don’t want to go too far in the other direction and lose the perks. We’ll see how the 24 hours/week goes, but I feel like it will be amazing?!
AR
Long-time lurker here but I just had to chime in to say: as an Orthodox Jew, I keep a full Sabbath every Saturday (from Friday sundown to Saturday twilight). We don’t change anything electric (no turning on or off lights, no driving, etc.) and included within that is electronics, so no laptops, phones, etc. It does really help that most of the people that I interact with on a regular basis also keep the Sabbath and my work colleagues are very understanding of my unavailability during those times; I agree that it can be much more challenging when your environment is less understanding.
I will say that I regularly think of how much I appreciate that my Sabbath is a digital detox; I cannot imagine being always connected. I am so thrilled for you to try this out and I can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Elisabeth
Thanks so much for commenting and your Sabbath sounds like such a restorative time. It’s what our bodies are designed for and it makes sense that it “feels right” when we do it. God knew what He was doing when He designed the Sabbath into the very core of human rhythms 🙂
Ernie
I am hoping to get a 3 day pass to a local YMCA today. Tank leaves for college tomorrow but Mini is home another week. The youngest 4 kids?do not go back to school until Jan. 9th. Reg’s 18th birthday. So i am focused on deciding if the Y will be a good place for us to join. We would like a place for the girls to be active.
Elisabeth
My sister had a Y membership for almost 2 decades with her kids and LOVED it! Not an option where I live, but I wish it were…
Anne
I’m behind, again, on commenting. So sorry.
Just saying, though, thanks for asking for red lentil recipes – I needed them, too! And, I also make a very simple microwave “applesauce”. I don’t even peel the apples – just chop them up, nuke them x 6 minutes, and add a lot of cinnamon and ginger. I have some every night with my ice cream. 🙂
Elisabeth
Yum. We have been loving the stewed apples! And the house just smelled SO GOOD. Like a pie factory.