Valentine's Day

Hello All!

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and I am sooooo excited. I have no doubt that I am one of the only ones.  Most people tell me that Valentine’s Day is the worst of all holidays-if they even consider it a holiday at all, but not me!  I love the holiday and I am cheesy to the max about it.  I give all of my friends presents, and bake cupcakes for co-workers.  I go out and buy the most sparkly cards I can find and pass them out to anyone that will take one, and when I have a significant other, I go above and beyond to let them know they are well loved. Somewhere along the way most of us have lost our ability to enjoy things like kids do, so this year, whether you are single, dating, or married, make this V-day one to enjoy! Here are some ways to make it more enjoyable.

             Start out by actually thinking of it as a holiday.

2.       Think of it as a time to show yourself, a friend, or a significant other that you care about them.

3.       Remember this holiday is not just for Women!

4.       Search the internet for good ideas, and think outside of the box whether you are doing something for yourself or someone else.

                                                           Happy future V-day!  <3 Jamie

                                                                          

Let's Start Some Seeds!

It's February now and almost time to start some seeds indoors. I always have trouble remembering when to start my seeds and almanacs are so in depth I tend to shy away, so I turned to the trusty old internet. A planting helper I searched for and www.sproutrobot.com I found.

This website takes your zip code and tells you when you need to start seeds indoors and outdoors. It's awesome! You can get email reminders to start the 10 most popular fruits and veggies for free, or you can sign up for a paid account and get all kinds of emails for multiple locations and tons of different plants. I signed up for the free account and it has info for pretty much everything I need to plant.

February 24th I start my tomatoes and jalapenos. I think I'm going to try the plastic bottle and cotton string method this year, so I don't have to water them as often. Plus, I've had about twenty little plastic bottles in my craft room for almost a year now. They're the perfect size for the job. Now I just need to get my hands on some thick cotton string...

I think I might actually have a garden this year. I'm pretty excited :D


Happy Thursday!

-Shala-

I Feel The Need

I've been waiting 26 long years for this moment. As I'm sure you've already heard, Top Gun is coming back to theaters in just a couple of days. And not just any theater, but IMAX theaters. It won't just be in plain IMAX, but IMAX 3D. Does it get any better? I think Knott. Unfortunately, you only have 6 days to watch this masterpiece in theaters.
In doing the necessary research required for this blog, I've discovered that they're doing a Thursday showing as well. So let's make that 7 days to watch this masterpiece. Well, my weekend is booked, better get yours booked.

~

Long commute? Not me!

Hello Everyone,

I am the newest employee to Old Will Knott Scales. I have been here almost 2 months, and I am really enjoying it. The thing I enjoy the most is that it is only 10 minutes from my house!! That is great compared to the 1 hour and 15 minute commute I did last year!

According to a study published in 2012 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the longer people drive to work, the more likely they are to have poor health.

"This is the first study to show that people who commute long distances to work were less fit, weighed more, were less physically active and had higher blood pressure," said Christine M. Hoehner, a public health professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the study's lead author.”

Since I started working here, I have noticed less stress, and more time to do healthy activities like run, eat healthy homemade dinners, attend exercise classes, and hang out with friends and family. All of these things are good for your health! I know not everyone can have a 10 minute commute to work, but consider the toll your long commute may be taking on you, and ask yourself if the money, position, etc. is worth the things that your long commute might take from you.

So, if you have a short commute to work, be thankful, and take advantage of your extra time. If you do not, try to find time elsewhere in your days, to get a walk in. Also consider packing and making healthy meals for the whole week on the weekend. That way after a long day, you won’t settle for fast food for lack of time. Have a great day! Make the best of your time. Life is too short to waste.

The above quote was found at http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-23/long-commute-poor-health/55162620/1

Jamie J

I've Got The Fever

Even though it's super cold outside and there's snow on the ground, I already have ants in my pants for Spring. Last weekend I cleared out all the plants and flowers that have died for the season, pulled up all the weeds, rearranged the backyard and have already started planning my super garden!

I've made it my goal to utilize every square inch possible for planting berries, vegetables, herbs and flowers this year. I'm even looking into an apple and an almond tree. For my plants that need support, like green beans and peppers, I'm going to make hanging planters with 5 gallon buckets and plastic paint, (so they don't look too much like 5 gallon buckets) to hang on the side of my house. The grape vine will go under those, so the water that drains will water the vines. I'm installing window boxes on all the windows and all the rock in the front yard is going to be replaced with blackberry bushes and their companion plants.

I really hope my yield is high, so I can try my hand at canning and freezing in the Fall. Wish me luck!


Happy Wednesday!
-Shala-

Freezer Food Mania!

For as long as I've been on my own I've struggled with buying and making too much food and not eating it before it goes bad. I think it comes from having a big family growing up. A pot of spaghetti for six people is WAY too much for two adults and a toddler. I've gotten better over the years, but I still have issues.

Last weekend I was searching for a Microsoft Access database I could use to store recipes, create meal plans and generate shopping lists, (hoping it would help my food woes). I found a few, but they were hard to get the hang of and weren't super user friendly. Just as I was about to give up and resort to a plain old Excel file I found the coolest website for storing recipes, planning meals and generating shopping lists! It does have a subscription cost, but it's well worth it in my opinion.

After spending time adding recipes, figuring out a meal plan and generating a shopping list I spent an arm and a leg much at three different grocery stores and hit the kitchen. Armed with my new waffle iron (thanks mom), griddle, oven and not enough mixing bowls I got to work. I ended up making around 50 waffles, 30 something pancakes, three batches of herbed dumplins, enough biscuits for four meals, a jar full of soft pretzel sticks and two lasagnas. All portioned out and in the freezer :)

With luck, my new favorite website and a freezer full of premade food will help keep things simple and, hopefully, save us a little moolah.



Happy Wednesday!
-Shala-

XGames Aspen

Today I'm going to take my blog post opportunity to share with you all my excitement about my weekend plans..and yet another reason I feel so lucky to live in Colorado.  As I am consistently reiterating to my friends back home - there is ALWAYS something fun to do in Colorado, whether in downtown Denver or a short drive to the mountains.  Thus far I have been bummed that I haven't had a chance to get up into the mountains for a weekend of skiing.  However, my "bummedness" is about to be overshadowed as I am taking a trip this weekend to Aspen to see the XGames for the first time.  So while I haven't hit the slopes yet this winter, I am about to witness some mind-blowing ski, snowboard, and snowmobile tricks!  Not to mention the abundance of some pretty cool musicians and famous people that will also be in attendance.  Interested?  Check out the XGames Aspen 2013 Schedule here: http://xgames.espn.go.com/events/2013/aspen/schedule/  

Oh and the best part, it's free :)  In the meantime I will be praying to the snow gods for some fresh powder this weekend.  As the saying goes, "No Snow, No Show." 

Allison

Lance Armstrong

So evidently the premier cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to using PED's (Performance Enhancing Drugs) while winning all those races.  In my opinion, he only admitted to using due to the fact that all his sponsors have dropped him so he doesn't have any revenue coming in. He sure didn't admit or apologize while he was on top of the mountain. It took him falling down the mountain in order for him to admit to doping and that is why I don't think his coming clean and apologizing is sincere.  It is just my opinion but I believe the way he acted and treated people who accused him of using PED's is who he truly is, a dirtbag. For those that don't know he called the accuser's names, sued those who stated he took PED's all while denying denying denying! It takes awhile sometimes but the TRUTH always comes out. Remember that sports figures, politicians and people in general.


Dale

The Flu

I recently fell victim of a nasty strain of Influenza A and have been noticing lots of discussion about the flu this year on the news.  Here's some facts I have gathered:

• This season's flu strain is very aggressive and can spread quickly
• It's hitting us earlier than past seasons
• The seasonal flu vaccine is ineffective for 1 in 10 people

Check out the latest flu news from MailOnline here - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257984/Fears-flu-vaccine-CDC-officials-confirm-treat-cases-disease-continues-spread-rapidly.html

Get Well,
Allison

Happy New Year

I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I hope you can keep those new year resolutions.  I know I can't so I don't even bother.

Happy New Year
Dale