Tag: #ConnecticutBlogger

F is for Festivals!

Today is Friday, September 22nd, or as my good friend and News 8 Chief Meteorologist Gil Simmons would say,  it is the “Autumnal Equinox.”   Fancy!  And really just another way of saying Fall (smile).   Fall in Connecticut means it’s that time when folks can truly enjoy festivals, fairs, carnivals and outdoor expos.

Speaking of festivals, on Saturday, September 16th I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 10th annual Garlic Festival at Olde Mistick Village in Mystic, CT.

Free admission and free parking so I expected it was going to be crazy busy and I was  so-ooooooo right…

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I must admit I’ve always had a fondness  for Mystic…you see I grew up in Groton, CT (right next door to Mystic) so I spent a lot of time in that town (especially while in high school) visiting friends, eating Mystic Pizza, working after school at the ABC Film Lab, hanging out at “The Village,” as we called Olde Mistick Village back in the day,  walking downtown during the annual Mystic Arts and Crafts Fair, chilling out at the marina, visiting the Seaport, watching my sister Casandra conduct tours during her kick a– Summer job at the Mystic Aquarium, etc…

So I was looking forward to spending time at The Village once again, albeit now through the eyes of my middle-aged self…

On that particular Saturday, as luck would have it, the weather was sunny and delightful – – perfect for walking around and enjoying the sights and sounds.

Folks (couples, singles, families, dogs, and babies) came from all over Connecticut and beyond.

One of the first things I did was head over to the duck pond.  I was not disappointed…

Love seeing the ducks!
Especially when they dive underwater!

Sampled the wide varieties of olive oil and artisanal honey at Sticky Situations, which was jam-packed with folk!

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Bought a souvenir gift from Sophia’s Magical Christmas Shop.

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Hung out at Franklin’s General Store for free samples of delish fudge and the experience of a trip back in time…

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Spent time at Garden Store Specialties to check out the whimsical gifts for the lawn and garden.

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Even made time for lunch with my client Joyce at my new fave, Pink Basil…delish!

Enjoyed a ‘cold one’ at Jealous Monk, a social hall and beer garden.

Garlic galore!

You don’t even need to like the taste of garlic to attend this annual festival as there is truly something for everyone.   There’s live entertainment, farm fresh goodies, specialty food carts, vendors, crafters, artists and even authors.  And it all takes place at the coolest Village in Connecticut!

Enjoy the season!

 

 

 

 

 

LJ: Stronger than before…

I just came back from a week-long vacation in Lewes, Delaware so I haven’t been to the gym in a minute and being the active girl that I am, one of the first places I hit was the Edge Fitness Club in Hamden.

At Edge Fitness Clubs I am a member of Edge Strong which is a “team training” program led by the personal trainers.  Edge Strong consists of 5 different types of hourly workouts guaranteed to get you the results you are looking for:   Foundation, Strength, Burn, Speciality and Exclusive.   I work out religiously Monday through Friday in the Edge Strong “Early Bird” workout classes which begin at either 530am or 6am depending on the week day.   I like working out with a team as it helps to keep me motivated and I also like that the workouts are led by Personal Trainers because these trainers tend to keep you from slacking off or not pushing yourself to your true fitness ability.

As it turns out, it’s Labor Day today and like Memorial Day in Connecticut, which signals the unofficial start of Summer, Labor Day signals the unofficial start of Fall.   By this I mean we still have some days left in the month that will feel like Summer (temperature wise) but the early mornings and late nights will start to get a bit nippy…

At the gym, I like to warm up on the machines before class actually begins:

But after just ONE WEEK OFF FROM THE GYM(!) this is more how I start:

However, there’s still hope as by week’s end, LJ, as I am known in the gym, gets her groove back:

And before you know it, I’m back in gym shape and ready to face the challenges of the day (smile).

Count Your Blessings…

I can’t believe it’s August already which means that Summer is almost over, Boo!  To add insult to injury, the changeable weather in Connecticut has me feeling kinda blah…If you too are finding yourself feeling some kinda way and are looking for solutions,  here’s my list of ways to shake it off (smile).

First things first, Count Your Blessings.   I’ve been known to throw a pity party and not invite anyone but myself and that never ends well.   The quickest solution is to start counting my blessings no matter how large or small.  Works like a charm…

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Take a Mental Health Day – sometimes you just need to forget about work and take the day off, strictly for the purpose of resting and relaxing your mind…

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Get organized  – Declutter – Put things back where they belong – sometimes just getting organized takes a load off your mind and makes you feel accomplished (smile).

Surround yourself with positive people.   Life is too short to be made miserable by another person(s).  You can truly ‘do bad all by yourself’ as mama used to say (smile).

Listen to music that you absolutely love – the 70s is my Go-To decade so you’ll find me listening to one or more of the following musical genres:  Soul, Rock, Pop, R & B or Disco.  It instantly puts me in a good mood.

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This is not necessarily going to be easy but try turning offthe desktop, the laptop,  the cell phone, etc. for even a few half hours at a time.  You’ll be amazed at how good you feel.

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Read a bookby your favorite author or grab a self-help book.  Either one will do the trick.

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Take a power nap – quick, short naps not only rejuvenate you but they improve your mood, alertness and performance.

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Exercise for life – make working out a part of your daily life – not a dreaded thing to do.   Whether you belong to a gym, or work out at home, it’s one of the best ways to combat stress, reduce fatigue and improve your sleep.

Get involved in a sport that you have not played in years.  I used to play a mean game of badminton as a child so playing it again recently brought back some fond memories.

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Play with pets –  whether they are your own, your friends or your neighbors  – pets can easily bring a smile to your face and make your worries go away.

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And finally, Count Your Blessings, again…if you have a sound mind, good health, family, faith, friends and work, you’re already ahead in the Game of Life.

My Clean Living Life, Part III

This has got to be one, if not the, hardest times of the year for a striving-to-be-clean girl like me (smile).

 

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Wake me up when the holidays are over! 

 

It doesn’t help that I live in New England where its bitter cold outside  at 5am in the morning when I wake up to go to the gym.

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And, to add insult to injury, good and un-healthy food greets me everywhere I turn, making it harder and harder for me to make  the right food choices…Between office day and night parties, get-togethers with friends, family gatherings, pre-holiday dinners, after-work happy hours and the like, I almost feel like throwing in the towel and biting into that lovely red velvet cupcake!

 

And eating clean?!?   What a joke?!?   Not with all of this yummy, hot and cold prepared food surrounding me…

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But then this tiny little nagging voice of reason shakes me, wakes me up and tells me to maintain control because if I keep giving in to food temptation, it’s going to be that much harder come January 2nd…

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Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz…

 

So…I take a deep breath and remind myself of the little things that I have done in the past to counteract the decadence.   Here are just a few tips that I have used successfully:

  • Drink lots of water (not only is it filling but it also cleans out toxins)
  • Eat slowly and take small bites
  • At parties, eat out of tiny dinner plates 
  • Try not do two things at once (like eat and talk on the phone) as you will lose track of your portions
  • And finally, drink one large (10 ounces or more) glass of ice water for every alcoholic drink consumed

The holidays are truly a whirlwind of fun, good food, good drinks and activity but if you try to keep track of what you eat and drink daily and not give in to every temptation out there you can get through them with minimal damage and celebrate the post New Year in style!

 

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Have a Happy & Healthy New Year!

 

 

 

 

Thanks(Giving)

One of my favorite holidays growing up (besides Christmas) was Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving in my mind was Christmas without the presents and I mean that in the best way.  You see, I grew up in a large, dual-parented family in the small town of Groton, CT.   I was one of 7 children and the ‘baby girl.’

My father was in the U.S. Navy and my mother was a housewife (today she would be called a ‘stay at home mom’).

Here’s a picture of my  parents when they first met.  My mother Jean was 17 and my father Jonie B. was 19.

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In my humble opinion, holidays were and are so much more fun when you can share them with your parents and siblings and the bigger your family, the better.  I was 6 years old in this picture of me and my six siblings, I’m the second one in from the right.

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My mother was the ultimate multi-tasker and as such super organized so the bigger holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) afforded her the opportunity to show off her skills.

She would take one or more of us with her to the grocery store to buy the turkey, the trimmings and the holiday themed tablecloth, plates, cups, cutlery and paper machete turkey.

Between making sure that the house was spick and span clean as well as decorated, each and everyone’s clothes washed and folded, and the food prepped and ready, she was also genius at balancing our lives to ensure that we were where we needed to be at any given time.

I had no cooking skills whatsoever so I marveled at how my mother could wash, stuff and prepare the turkey, bake multiple pies with homemade (not store-bought) crusts and then cook a ton of side dishes with ease.

On the big day, the food was blessed and then we would go around the dinner table and share what we were most thankful for that particular year.  This would usually elicit misty eyes…

Then my father, Jonie B., would do the honors by carving the turkey.  If he was out to sea during the holiday, my older brother Michael would handle it.

The Thanksgiving menu was not light.  It usually consisted of an oversized turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, giblets, sweet potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens with ham bone, corn, mashed potatoes with gravy, string beans with fat back, hot dinner rolls, pumpkin pies, sweet potatoe pies, and apple cider to wash it all down with.

Huge mounds of food on serving plates would be passed around the table, laughter was heard throughout and we all knew that we would be eating leftovers for days!

Football was on TV all day long, Macy’s parade as well.  Good times.

Fast Forward to today:   with the holiday season quickly approaching, I sometimes catch myself getting caught up in a lot of the negativity of the world.  My solution a few weeks ago (inspired by my good church friend, Bobo) was to start a (daily) blessings jar to remind myself that I still have plenty to be thankful for.  It works like a charm (smile).

One of the first blessings that I wrote and put in my jar was how thankful I was (am) for my late mother so this blog post is written in loving memory of  Jean Anna Tinsley Hollis, gone but not forgotten…

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