Why should a diver wear a watch?

I am shocked that watches priced at the cost of a small flat are exclusively meant for deep sea divers. But why should they wear a watch when going down under the water?

See, this watch IWC Aquatimer that is priced at $5800. I happen to read a review of it in a fashion magazine. I gasped at the price first. I was really curious as to why divers buy this watch.

I learnt that it is not just a watch but an instrument built with a gauge to measure the depth of the water. Some of the features of the aquatimer made me feel like a school girl.

I hope the divers take more care of themselves than their costly chronograph. I wish them safety first.

Botanic Gardens, Pyramid Glasshouse (Theme Day: Glass)

The Pyramid Glasshouse at the Royal Botanic Gardens houses a display of tropical plants. The glasshouse opened in 1972 and is part of the Sydney Tropical Centre which also features a glass Arc. An underground foyer links the Pyramid to the Arc.

Click here to view other participants of this theme day

Meal plans based on this week's sales flyers

There are some good sales on this week. I thought I would put together a healthy meal plan based on the sales flyers this week.

NOTE: Walmart is great for price matching anyone's flyers if it is the exact same product. Just helps make one trip only when shopping or at least cuts down on many shopping trips.

Spaghetti Pie

• 6 oz. spaghetti, cooked and still warm (Food Basics Primo Pasta 0.99)
  
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 well beaten egg
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 c. cottage cheese (Food Basics 2.49)
  
• 1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 (28 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce (Food Basics Ragu 0.88)
  

Combine hot cooked spaghetti with butter until butter is melted. Add egg and Parmesan cheese. Place in pie dish and form a "crust" with a well in the center. Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti in pie dish. Cover with spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350°F or until bubbly. Cut into slices and serve.

Spinach Salad

• Spinach leaves* (baby) or spinach salad mix (RCSS 3.99)*will do 2 meals plus
  
• Croutons
• Sunflower seeds
• grated carrot(A&P 1.00)
  
• salad dressing

Wash greens thoroughly and pat dry. Mix half of spinach and "crunchy" ingredients together just before serving, Add salad dressing to taste just before serving.

Sloppy Joes

• 1 Lb lean ground beef (RCSS 2.00)
  
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped (Food Basics 0.99lb)
• 1/2 Tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tsp prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 3 Tsp brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
3. Save 2 cups from this for Sloppy Joe pizza later in the week.
   

I make my buns from scratch to go with this.

Steamed Broccoli (A&P 1.00)

Sloppy Joe Pizza

• 2 cups Sloppy Joe sauce (from few nights before)
  
• 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1-1/2 cups colby-jack or Mexican blend* cheese
• 1 recipe bread machine pizza dough, prepared and baked until almost done

In a skillet, combine Sloppy Joe sauce, corn, and green onions. Heat through. Spread mixture on top of baked pizza crust and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425° for 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

**Serve spinach salad with this **

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 1/2 cups wide egg noodles (No Yolk Egg Noodles 1.49-Food Basics)
  
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 container chicken broth (1.99 - RCSS)
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 cup chopped celery or Carrots or both
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 3 cups diced, cooked chicken meat (chicken thighs 2.00lb - RCSS)

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil chicken. Add egg noodles and oil, and boil for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and rinse under cool running water.
2. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine broth, salt, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil. Stir in celery and onion. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Gradually add to soup, stirring constantly. Stir in noodles and chicken, and heat through.

**I have to be honest this is just the base I use pretty much for my recipe... I season as I feel like depending on the day. Always tastes different at my house but still very yummy!**

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

• 5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins (2.00lb - RCSS or 1.49 - Food Basics)
  

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first seven ingredients; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and discard marinade. Place the tenderloins in an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 25-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with pan drippings.

** tastes great served with rice and glazed carrots **

Glazed Carrots

• 1 bag baby carrots
• 2/3 c. honey
• 6 tbsp. butter

Cook carrots in a small amount of water until tender crisp. Drain water, add honey and butter. Cook on med. low until carrots are glazed, turning carrots once or twice.

Put some quick meals into the mix with this not to mention the turkey on sale at Foodland for only 0.99/lb... think of all the meals you can get out of that... turkey dinner ... turkey wraps (A&P has wraps on for 1.99) and then maybe a turkey pot pie or just hot turkey sandwiches.

Other things that caught my eye...

Price Chopper
Yams - 0.79
Seedless Cucumbers 0.99 (couple this with tomatoes on sale at RCSS for 1.00/lb it would make a great tomato & Cucumber salad a favourite at our house)
Tortilla wraps 1.99

Real Canadian Superstore
Oasis Orange Juice 1.00
Shredded lettuce 1.00
Watermelon 2.99

A&P
Apple Juice 1.00
Baby Carrots 1.00
Broccoli 1.00
Granny Smith Apples 1.49/lb (cooked apples good desert one night as a treat)

Totlol Website Review

I came across this site through bzzagent. It was really cool and child friendly I am sure it is not 100% full proof but what a great site from what I have seen for children to watch videos. I know my daughter loves youtube and I am always screening what she watches but with this site there has not been a lot to screen. What a wonderful site. Oh I think I said that already. Why not give it a whirl. I also want to add that there are no ads for the children to see while viewing videos elminating the in appropriate ads their eyes get to view. :)

Check it out for yourself.

Visit Totlol

How gold is safe guarded?

I appreciate the western and middle east countries for their treatment of gold. They considered gold as the ultimately precious thing in the world. They are the ones to quickly raise their respective country’s financial value by just dumping gold in the reserves.

While Indian’s revealed their gold’s worth by wearing as ornaments on just about every part of their body, other countries silently gobbled up gold and safe guarded it.

They completely realized that the beauty of a gold bar lies in its proven ability to diversify investments, protect wealth and preserve one’s purchasing power and not in decorating humans and idols.

No, of course I am not against the Indians’ treatment of gold; after all I am an Indian. But I wear no more ornaments than what I am supposed to. But I buy gold; I buy pure gold every month from Monex Deposit Company (MDC).

How shoes can reduce stress on hips!

I think $159 for a pair of shoes is on the side of luxury spending. I never spent so much on foot wear. Just because you are going to walk on treadmill doesn’t mean you have to buy the costliest shoes-right? I was under the impression that my son is afraid to spoil treadmill floor with other shoes.

My son took all the rumblings of me in his usual cool self and went out. He came back 6 hours later. Enough time has lapsed and he thought some semblance of reasonableness would have settled in me.

Then he sat down and patiently explained why he is buying a pair of MBT shoes and what could they do to his feet.

He went on like this:

MBT shoes can please your feet as it is made of seven layers of comfort.

It can improve posture, activate neglected muscles, reduces stress on hips and knees, while also toning and shaping your body.

It increases rear…..

Enough! I have heard enough! I called out to my husband, “Badri, do you want a pair of MBT shoes?”

Will a baby get tired?

The baby was only a few months old. It was small and beautiful. One of my former students came to show her baby to me that was born on December 25th. What a day!

When the crying started, I showed of my experience by telling she may be hungry. The baby's mother smiled at me knowingly and revealed an empty milk bottle.

Just then, our servant maid told me that the baby may be tired and that is the reason for crying. How stupid! How can the baby lying simply be tired?

My former student had instantly acknowledged that she rode in her car to cover the 40 KMs to reach my house. Yes! I realized. If we can get tired by traveling, why can't the baby?

Burraneer, Gunnamatta Bay

Gunnamatta Bay, looking back towards the southern suburb of Burraneer.

Dolans Bay

 The clouds roll in over the southern suburb of Dolans Bay.

Click here to view all participants of Skywatch Friday

Hot Indian Masala Namitha Bikini Pics

Namitha In Jaganmohini Movie Gallery

Namitha Ass Its Hot

Hot Girl Namitha Swimsuit

Sexy Namitha In Saree Wallpaper

Namitha Ever seen Pictures

Namitha In Jaganmohini Movie Gallery

South Indian Leading No.1 Actresses Trisha Krishnan Wallpaper Gallery

Tamil Actress Trisha Krishnan Smiling Pictures

Trisha Pics Gallery

Trisha With Her Mother

Trisha Lovely Photos

Trisha Ramya Krishna And Friends

Main Hoon Na Super Actresses Amrita Rao Pictures

Amrita Rao Beautiful Wallpaper

Amrita Rao Lovely Wallpaper

Bollywood Star Amrita Rao

Amrita Rao Hot Wallpaper

How I helped a stunt man.

This is not a new fashion dress for males but a back brace worn by a man working in films as a stunt man.

My husband has several friends working in film industry in various capacities like directors, stunt men (stunt women too), actors and production assistants. Among them, one stunt man is very close to my husband.

Image via wikipedia

This stunt man used to spend hours hanging from ropes as part of his work. This has caused unbearable pain to him. I suggested this back brace that also acts as a lifting belt that provides firm support to the lower back.

It has adjustable inner belt for added comfort while being lifted up. In the world of stunt men, nothing is a secret.

I attended about 32 calls that sought appointment from me. A mathematician turned orthopedist?

I then spent hours in Allegromedical.com looking for different types of back brace for different kinds of stunt men and women.

Gymea Bay Baths

The heritage-listed Gymea Bay Baths are a popular attraction on Gymea Bay, part of the Port Hacking estuary in the southern suburbs. The Gymea Bay Swimming Club have been using the baths for over 40 years.

Kate Winslet Beautiful Wallpaper Gallery

Kate Winslet Movie Wallpaper

Kate Winslet Free High Quality Wallpaper

Kate Winslet Sexy Wallpaper

MASSAGE & HOOPING

Hula Hooping has benefits!!!
Massages your internal organs and improves circulation by manually moving nutrients into the different tissues.
Strengthen the immune system by increasing lymph flow. Cheaper, safer, and empowering healthcare.
Calms the mind. Promotes emotional balance and a sense of well-being. The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is a major source of the body's hormones and growth factors. The constant motion of the hoop circling the skin releases these natural healing elements into the body.



If you are looking for bodywork in Mpls. visit me at: www.lovinghands.blogspot.com

Faith unlocks the door; your fingers too.

I could not care less for newspaper reports of house breaks in suburban areas. This doesn’t imply that I live in the heart of city; I live far away from it.

Of course I have some valuables in my house that are obviously more valuable for intruders.

No, I have not insured my properties.

I have not posted any security at my house.

My house is not wired to any fancy home security gadgets.

Still, I am not afraid to go on a long holiday locking my house behind simply because my house is break proof; it has keyless lock. Oh, I know I am building up the suspense. I enjoy it more when I break the suspense.

My house door can be unlocked only by my finger. This keyless lock technology is based on ‘Biometrics’ that is used in authentication purposes by finger prints, eye contacts and even voice recognition.

BTW, my house’s main door is not fitted with biometric lock but my bedroom cum office where the most valuable property is the DATA in my computer.

Please have a look at this keyless lock that looks very sturdy and safe. Again, it recognizes only your finger prints.

Here is another ‘never-seen-before’ type of lock that has no keys. It is called ‘Keyless Mortise Door Lock’ and it costs only $100

Again, it recognizes only your finger prints.

Here is another ‘never-seen-before’ type of lock that has no keys. It is called Keyless Mortise Door Lock and it costs only $100

I've Never Had a Helicopter

I don't know if you caught this exchange between McCain and Obama about the cost of his new helicopter, but I thought you might enjoy it...

If Only God Could Do This Every Day

Gymea Bay

Gymea Bay is on the Port Hacking estuary. The bay and this southern suburb are named after the Gymea Lily which is found in this area.

Click here to view all participants of Watery Wednesday

No (Gifted) Student Left Behind

Yesterday the New York Times did a piece on No Child Left Behind. There's a move afoot to "rebrand" the program (how about dumping and starting over?), and a website has been set up where people can suggest new names for the program.

Well, there are some spectacular names. A few good ones:

The No Child Gets Ahead Act.

The Act to Help Children Read Gooder.

No Child Left Untested.

The Double Back Around to Pick Up the Children We Left Behind Act.

And my personal favorite, from a guy named Joe Williams:
It should be named Caitlin. Everyone seems to be naming things Caitlin these days. Or Caleb.

If you need to vent your spleen, give it a whirl.

PS Someone offered this one seriously: BLESSED -- The Building Learning Environments, School by School, Education Act. It's nice isn't it? If we could get the proper programs to go with it, I'd vote for it!

Reduced size multimedia card.

You can’t declare me a total zombie when it comes to technical matters. I confess I ask too many questions about mobile phone and computer accessories. But I own a very costly and advanced laptop and Black Berry. After all, one can handle hi-tech gadgets without some technical knowledge-right?

But my husband used to remind me that math teachers lack worldly knowledge when compared to other professionals. He cites several examples and the last one was when he asked me if I wanted a Reduced Size Multimedia Card to replace my old sd flash memory card.

He knew multimedia cards are more preferred nowadays but he also knew that I don’t know the difference. I replied to him that I am satisfied with single media card.

There! Now you know why they make fun of my ignorance! Oh well, let them have their fun. I am glad to be of use.

Grays Point

The shoreline at Swallow Rock Reserve (top) in the southern suburb of Grays Point and boats on Mansion Bay (bottom).

Why are you frugal?

We are frugal because we have to be. We are currently in a situation that allows for no other option but that being said I have to say that I have been frugal most of my life but not to the extreme I am now. I guess I am naturally frugal.

If I was extremely wealthy and money was not an object I don't think I would change my ways too much. I think it is important to be wise with our money. Like to many things in life it can change just like that.

I value value so I wouldn't say that I am cheap. I am definitely frugal. I like to buy things of quality and know that they are going to last. I don't like to waste and it just contributes to the environmental problems already out there and not a very wise thing to do with the resources that have been given to us.

So why are you frugal?

Bread Making...

Today I am making bread for the first time... okay not my first time but it has always been a dud in my house. I am determined not to purchase bread anymore. It is so expensive and not to mention the preservatives in factory produced bread.

Off I go to make a loaf of bread... wish me luck. :)

Update... 2:17pm.... bread is rising... looking good. I hope it turns out so I can say goodbye to store bought bread. :)

Recipe I am using: Link to Recipe: White Sandwich Bread

1 packet "highly active" active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

7/8 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water*

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup dry no fat milk

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

Directions

1) If you're using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.

4) Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into an 8" log.

5) Transfer the log, smooth side up, to a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.

6) Allow the bread to rise till it's crested about 1 1/4" over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Again, it may rise more slowly for you; let it rise till it's 1 1/4" over the rim of the pan, even if that takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

7) Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, till the crust is golden brown, and the interior temperature measures 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.

8) Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Turn it out of the pan, and brush the top surface with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft, satiny crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. As soon as it's completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap; or in a plastic bag, air pressed and fastened securely at the top. *** It was a flop yesterday but could be due to the yeast I used. I am going to try with new yeast tomorrow. ***