Category: 2012_Posts

Daily is difficult for me, and weekly can be too slow. “Whenever” seems to be the way I post.

What Kind of Shape Do They Mean?

~ JodiLea ~ 2 Comments

In August of 2010 I purchased a pair of  “Shape Ups”.  Sketchers™, the manufacturer, boasted these shoes would not only help you walk correctly but they promised to tighten my ass.

They were a bit pricey, but one of my favorite stores had them marked down, so I figured – why not try them? I was the first to admit that my ass needed some tightening. Perhaps they will help me walk correctly and help my back too.

Well, I brought them home and there was a DVD and an instruction manual you had to view before wearing the shoes for the first time.  Say What??  I was 50 years old. I have walked in tennis shoes most of my life.  And doing it all wrong, at least according to Sketchers™. Thank goodness that I bought their Shape Ups and they will help me walk correctly at last.

The maiden voyage did not go well. The arch of my foot was higher than the heel. This  was dangerous for a klutz like me. We stumble often in normal shoes. I felt like a toddler must feel on unsteady ground. I tripped and fell a lot. I appeared mobility impaired. My sister laughed at me. She got a pair the same time I did and walked like a normal person. The brat!

Real Shoe vs. Shape Up
Real Shoe vs. Shape Up

The first months of learning how to walk all over again was difficult. Not, however, as difficult as standing still was. One has to rock and reposition their feet in order to not topple over. This feature is supposed to get our legs in shape I guess. My legs always ached, especially my knees. My thighs were not happy with me either.  And there was no tightening of the ass going on – at all.

It took me a year+ to get used to the damn shoes, and now I have had enough. I dug out a pair of my old real tennis shoes and wore them to work yesterday. Big Mistake. Obviously my Shape Ups have molded my feet into submission. After half a day, I could barely walk in my old shoes – and it was very, very painful. I have a feeling that new shoes will take a long time to get used to.

I’m wearing the Shape Ups again this morning. I don’t have the energy to fight with my feet anymore and I have no time to stand still anyway…

Happy Groundhog Day!

~ JodiLea ~ 2 Comments

That’s right. Today, February 2nd, is the big day. Punxsutawney Phil, the official predictor of Spring, will make his annual appearance and declare 6 more weeks of winter. Or not.

Groundhog
image from flickr

I’m not going to go into the history of Groundhog Day, but if you’re curious you can visit the little rodent’s Club. Instead I will tell you a little family memory….

One year when our kids were middle school age, I decided to invent “Groundhog Pie”. Like Sheppard’s Pie, but using “groundhog meat”.  It looked a lot worse than it tasted. When I cut into the crust and served the first piece, I was reminded of a childhood song that had “greasy gopher guts” in the lyrics.

They must have suspected it really wasn’t groundhog, yet everyone played along. Even my pickiest of eaters scarfed it up. These kids, who diligently removed each and every piece of onion or mushroom from their spaghetti, blindly ate groundhog pie. Go figure.

This was many years ago. I want to add the recipe to my cookbook, but I didn’t write it down in my cookbook notes. Maybe I hadn’t started the book yet. Regardless, I will let you in on what I do remember.

Groundhog Pie

  • 1 pkg. of Pillsbury rolled pie crusts (has 2 in it)
  • 1 pound ground meat (beef, pork, or chicken will work)
  • 1 bunch of fresh spinach (rinse well)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced fine
  • 1 small can of chopped tomatoes, drained.

Remove pie crusts from the fridge and allow them to warm to room temperature while preparing pie filling. Brown the meat in a large skillet until done. Drain and return to skillet, adding spinach, garlic and tomatoes. Stir together for 1 minute at low heat.

Line a pie pan with 1 crust, making it fit tightly to sides and bottom. Poke bottom a couple of times with a fork. Leave 1/4 to 1/2 inch of crust edge above the rim of pan. Add filling.  Cover with top crust and pinch the bottom and top edges together to seal. Poke top crust a couple of times with fork.

Bake at 350° for about an hour.

You can also sprinkle cheese on the filling before covering with top crust if desired.