Happy New Year!

 Here's to a Fantastic New Year! 

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

I have had a low-key Holiday season this year and have not gone out very much at all. I have only done a little shopping in the past month! I think it is time to start getting things done around here and to also find time to have some fun! 

How do you feel about a fresh start in the New Year?

 

I have had a tough time in the past couple of years with broken hips, arthritis, financial concerns and, oh.. a world with covid. I have found myself feeling increasingly negative.

 Now I don't normally see myself as a negative person, maybe a bit of a pragmatist or perhaps a bit critical. I'm always looking for solutions and improvements, but I'm not pessimistic in my outlook. I am hopeful and believe tomorrow will be a better day. 

The fact is that it will only be a better day, better month, and better life if you actually do something and make changes.

Yesterday I watched a video about work productivity, and it firmly stated we must make a list of what needs doing and start with the hard stuff first, like getting the bills paid and correspondence taken care of. It also said to try and have meetings later in the day. My thought was- what if the hard part of your day IS the meeting?. What if not having the meeting at the beginning of the day leads to confusion because everyone is not fully aware of things they need to know? You doing your hard stuff in the morning might make everyone else have a hard afternoon.

See? I can overthink things! And I really don't even set up any meetings! Ha.

I do agree that making lists, and adding to them as needed, is a smart move. It helps you keep organized and prioritize your time in the ways you need and want.

Your lists need to be more complete than the productivity expert in the video suggested. Life is not a to-do list of correspondence, bills and meetings. It is not about getting the laundry done daily, having the shiniest windows, or cooking gourmet meals every day. 

Your lists should include making time for fun, lifelong learning, for spending time with friends and loved ones. Consider putting your spiritual life on your list. Do you take the time and care of your health? 

Are you planning your days to have a full and satisfying life? 

• Do you focus enough on yourself?
• How about focusing on others? 
• Perhaps you want to be more involved in your groups and communities?
• What do you do to keep your mind, body, and spirit healthy?
• Do you build skills to support your personal interests or look toward your future projects?
• Do you have peaceful, restful moments in your day?
• 
  

I have been a Girl Guide Leader for a long time, and a traditional song at the end of many Guiding and Scouting events is called Day is Done. I truly embrace the sentiment of the song. 

 

Softly falls the light of day, 

As our campfire fades away.

Silently each Scout should ask 

Have I done my daily task?

 Have I kept my honour bright?

 Can I guiltless sleep tonight?

 Have I done and have I dared 

 Everything to be prepared?

 I wish you success with all your Hopes and Dreams for the coming year!

The Best Chocolate Chiffon Cake

My Mom made the most delicious cakes for special events like birthdays, or Valentine's Day. When I saw the angel food pan coming out, I knew that we were going to have either a delicious Angel Food cake or her favourite Chocolate Chiffon cake. It was going to be a special day. 

Mom would have had her 98th birthday this past week. She passed away from cancer when she was only 54, and I was 20 years old. We should have had so many more celebrations together. My kids never got to know her, but I keep trying to tell little stories and memories about the Grandma they never met. I thought I would like to celebrate her birthday this year by making the Chocolate Chiffon Cake for my family.

My mom, Josephine or Joey, as everyone called her, was born on a small farm in Saskatchewan during the 1920s. She was the 10th child born, and they had already lost 3 of the siblings to infectious diseases that swept across the prairies in those years. 

The day she was born was her older brother Jim's 9th birthday, and he was very sad because no one was paying attention to him. It was not being such a special day, and there wasn't going to be a cake or any presents. He just sat out on the step for a good part of the day. Later their father came out to him and handed him a little bundle and told him that she was his new little sister and that she was his present and the very best present he could have wished for. He took this very seriously, cared for her, and loved her deeply. She told me that she followed him around like a puppy! They remained very close and always tried to keep in touch, despite living far apart, right until my mom's death.  

Happy Birthday thoughts to Uncle Jim and Mom on their day.

Jim and Joey

My mom and her parents.

This vintage cake might sound harder to bake than it really is, so I hope people just go ahead and give it a try. Trust me, the taste is worth it! I like to approach it one bowl at a time, and then the combining part is quick and easy. This is all about keeping it light, fluffy and yummy. 

Chocolate Chiffon Cake 

• 1/2 cup Cocoa
• 2/3 cup Boiling Water

• 1 3/4 cup  Flour (sifted) cake flour is ideal
• 1 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1/2 cup Cooking Oil
• 7 Egg Yolks (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla

• 7 Egg Whites (room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Clean a 10-inch angel food tube pan with soap and water. It is important not to have any grease on the pan or it won't rise as well. I also like to cut a piece of parchment to fit in the bottom of the pan. The eggs have to be at room temperature so that they whip up to maximum volume. 

In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder with the boiling water and stir so it is well combined. Now just put it to the side so it cools down..

The second bowl is for the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

The third bowl has the oil, egg yolks and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

In the fourth bowl beat/whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until it forms very stiff peaks.

Next, we gently mix the cooled cocoa mixture into the oil and egg yolk mixture. Don't beat it, just combine it.

Now, using beaters we mix the cocoa and oil mix into the second bowl with the flour mixture and beat until smooth. 

Carefully use a rubber spatula to fold a quarter of the egg whites into the batter and repeat until all the egg whites are folded in and combined. Be gentle and just fold, do not stir. You want it mixed, but you really want to trap as much air into the cake as possible.

Pour into the ungreased tube pan. Bake for 60 minutes at 325 degrees or until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Let it cool upside down in the pan. 

When cool, turn it run a knife around the pan and remove the cake!

We like to dust it with icing sugar and serve it with ice cream or whipping cream. Fresh raspberries make a particularly nice garnish.

Enjoy!

Walking in Winter

I would love to be walking outside, at least on the slightly warmer days. I tried to work on walking outside at the beginning of December when I was getting ready to do a 1k walk called the Santa Shuffle hosted by the Salvation Army.  I was walking outside short distances each day with my daughter despite the icy, snowy sidewalks. Everyone, including the physiotherapist, was warning me to be extra careful and not fall again.  My cane has gripping spikes I can pop down when needed, and my sweet sweet friend Mindy even sent me some grips to put on over my boots to help keep me from slipping! I was very excited to reach my goal and participate in this virtual charity event, at an indoor location of my choice, but there was a downside.

 I still need to get my left knee replaced and when my physiotherapist assessed me a week after the official walk it turned out that my walking gait had actually gone downhill. She thinks that when I pushed myself to walk on the bad knee I favoured that leg in a weird sort of way that could cause serious damage to my hips as they continue to heal and strengthen. My gait has been less than perfect for almost 14 years, and so has my balance, but this is pushing it all to a new level.

 Soooo I have been just sitting around safely at home wayyy too much. 

My husband Bob and I finally had enough and went for a drive in our neighbourhood yesterday. We have had several big snowstorms so with the streets freshly plowed we decided to get out of the house at long last. We started our drive by going to the closest Salvation Army Thrift Store where we donated some clothes at their drop-off area. We followed that by getting a burger at a fast-food places drive-through and then eating it in their parking lot.  

I still wasn't ready to go home so we drove around and took a few pictures in our neighbourhood. It was around 4:30 in the afternoon and dusk was already beginning so the pictures have an extra grey and blue tone to them that I love. I personally think the short days are worse than the extreme cold we can face here in the middle of Canada.  Bob is an amazing photographer and I thank him for letting me share his photos. I hope you enjoy them. Look at the height of some of those snowbanks!