Empirious pearlz of honest to goodness service!

An Honest Mechanic - you can find one, very much so! We've been going to the same one for years! In all reality he resurrected both of our cars from the dead; one by one he returned them to us in working order. We have been with him ever since. If something mysterious is going on, he'll find. He doesn't nickel and dime us. He's up front and he does good work. Even our children will drop their cars by there for a look see. Joe's Stop Brake Shop has been the salvation of our transportation, and he's saved too, letting his walk be his talk.

I'm so comfortable going to Turn 'n Headz to get my hair done - its like a mental vacation and a pleasant walk into the warmth and comraderie of Barber Shop. In reality I'm usually there early in the morning with Lynn, and I've seen her do short hair, long hair, cuts, color and weaves. I relax with a cup of coffee while she restores me, whether its a casual look or to 'the nines', to my best lookin' me - outside and inside . Her hands are gifted and she has an eye for style and her company is a breath of fresh air. I look forward to going. She is not only my stylist, she's a blessing and my friend! My son even goes to the shop to have a barber cut. I like that the stylists have skillz, and especially take particular care about their work and don't just turn around customers. I've seen them give their customers the best hair care advice, whether or not it was to their own profit. More than likely, if there's something you want to achieve, the Shop does it and more! Now if you want to top off your day just right, go next door to Moe's Chicken and Waffles - its a warm and friendly family owned business with some good food!

Finally on the hundred degree day, I am really grateful we found our spa. Today, we needed a part, called them up, and were able to go right over to pick it up. Being me, I had a few what about if this happens questions, and they amiably gave us the answers we needed. In the state of the economy some spa retailers are folding, but the strength of their service and customer feedback keeps them open. And you can pretty much custom order the design of your spa. If you are looking for that massage from a hard day or just the quiet gentle motion of water on a starry night, they have the jacuzzi. We actually saw what we would like to step up to - the swim spa. It was nice and the price was nice. Even if you don't buy there, you'll have the standard from which you'll make your decision. If you buy somewhere else, you'll end up remembering you didn't buy there ;-). Where? Spas Plus in Colton! Go for the warm and informed customer service and the spa you always wanted!

I went to two of these treasures today and felt moved to share all these gems with you. If you're guessing what the second was, let me just say I am not looking my best today. At any rate, if you check any of these Inland Empire businesses out, let them know you heard about these pearlz from Shelz!

fitness finds

well while not making a lot of progress, weightwise, I am encountering a lot of information and achieving an increased awareness. Here's just some of it:

Sparkpeople is a site with a comprehensive health and weightloss focus. I am normzrib there, as I am known many places. The site allows for goal tracking and breaks it down to eating and exercise - with health tips on key areas like diabetes and hypertension. A profile is created and one can be as thorough as one wants to be; but it provides insight to a person's goal as an individual and not just blanket remedies. Exercise programs can be set up based on individual focus, etc.

There are some tools I added-on to my google page.

Calorie Counter - it is neat to have on the page, but is essentially something that can also be done on the Sparx site. It keeps track of the calories eaten at each meal and gives you a total for the day against your desired total. On Sparx however you will get an ever more detailed breakdown as to your daily requirements and accomplishments.

On the Google 15 (odd name) one can log weigh-ins (I may have mentioned this one before) and see a graph of the progress similar to the tickers at the bottom of this page and also a summary. I find it doesn't act right all the time, but still is rather neat (i'll be using that word a lot - somewhat similar to kewl.

My Workout Routine actually helps you develop a workout routine similar to that on Sparx - based on your settings.

There's a Daily Nutrition Checklist that is based on your weight, activity level among other settings and it indicates your caloric, sugar, and fat limitations, and provides a means to track your consumption.

One the internet, itself I've found a few things besides the comprehensive Sparx page.

a comprehensive calorie counter for when you want to look items up.

a healthy body calculator that tells you a lot about yourself based on your answers. It would prove useful to repeat sometimes and gauge what progress has been made.

an interactive menu planner from which you can determine meals based on planned calories

a Body Fat Estimator - aren't you just dying to know what that is?

Well that is the tool tip for now; I'm going to join the husband in the jacuzzi, well deserved after a 20 minute aerobic time and 30 minute gym workout. Yes, its here and put together that day!

If I've been repetitive on any of these things, forgive me. I like some of these tools because they provide perspective - I've eaten this much entirely or of this so I only need to eat this much now. I'm on track with water. I've done these exercised focuses; I need to do these.

But I don't want to get anal. The real perspective is making this all second nature, achieving my goals and getting on with my life. As God wills, it shall be!

super nachos bowl recipe

I'm not good on amounts so gauge your ingredients.

Ingredients:

• chicken - I used boneless chicken breast
• tortilla chips - buy a party bag and you'll have some left over
• frijoles (refried beans) - I used 16 oz. You can buy spicy or not, fat free or not - you choose
• velveeta cheese - recommend the mexican flavor, or regular or 2% milk - 1 or 2 of the smaller package - or a mix (just like I did the beans)
• one jar of salsa - at least 8 oz.
  
• For additional toppings, you may want: sour cream, guacamole (don't buy the cheap slimy looking ones), serano peppers (tip - never wipe your eyes after touching them) sliced if you want to be able to find them or diced or olive (I abhor those and don't use them myself)

Preparation: The meat - I did this the night before and then stored in a baggy overnight. Slice up and stir fry the chicken (with a little olive or canola oil). Season as you choose - I used garlic powder and cilantro. You can also use taco seasonings. Just monitor your flavoring - you don't want everything spicy flavored. The key is to enjoy the unique tastes of things.
The cheese - melt it or cut in small squares for spreading.
The spread - use the largest microwavable plate you have and cover the bottom with chips. Proceed to layer the rest of the items (excluding the salsa, guac and cream - these do better not being microwaved). Alternate chicken, dollups of beans, cheese either poured or pieces spread, and the optional pepper slices, and then repeat the layering process until you reach a reasonable microwavable height.
The melt - then heat in the microwave in the oven until you see the cheese and beans soft and sizzling.
The presentation - you should have a mountain of chips that can be selected covered in the toppings. You can add dollops of the sour cream and guacamole, or you can provide individual dishes of those that can be applied according to individual taste.
The alternative - you can make individual servings creating saucers of the layered items to be microwaved and handed out. This is easier for individual eating, but takes more time serving. There's a lot of room for creativity.

Hope you enjoy. It was a rave at our superbowl party.

Released just in time for the pro-bowl the basketball all star weekend. ;-) Enjoy!

you become what you do ...

on the health tip: this is probably by no means original, but as a means of self encouragement

• get up and get dressed, look nice. If you feel frumpy, don't dress that way. Pick yourself up and take care to your appearance and try and behave in like manner. You become what you do! There's no shame in having a pajama day and such, but in general make an effort on yourself. You'll see a different person in the mirror and can change from the person you felt to the person you see and you'll present that different person to the world. They will treat you accordingly. By the way - a good reason not to go the vampish route ;-) just a thought... God sees us as what we are becoming in Him; we should too! While we may not see it now, by the grace of God, we will.

2 things to live by ....

• Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
  When dealing with difficult interactions or worldly people pray this! Cast aside any arrogance and possible disdain for insight and wisdom.
  
  
• And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
  Don't leave home without Him! Don't do anything without instruction; this does not mean do nothing. Do what you know to do. To borrow from the movie, Sleepless in Seattle, "Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breath in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breath in and out...". Then when God takes you beyond that do not tarry; go!

_{Exodus 33:13-15} revisited.

an honest look at yourself ...

have you visited the site everydayhealth? It is quite informative. I read some of their newsletters. I actually ended up there today from looking at their comprehensive section on cholesterol.

On their site is a health check that can provide you very valuable information about the state of your health. It, of course, confirmed my need to lose weight among other things (provided my BMI and assessed it), but it also offers ways to improve the individual results and the entire situation.

do you consider yourself an honest person? I consider myself an honest person; will tell you that without hesitation! But to answer the questions on the test, one has to be honest. However, the reality is I don't want to be honest with myself; that I am frequently not honest with myself. So then, what is this myself, telling others - you see one has to support the answers one tells oneself when speaking with others. Please, let me not continue to digress!

Let me just say it is useless to take the test if you are not honest. Probably one of the best things you can do for your health is be honest. Change starts with truth. I, in an attempt to be truly honest, looked at the worst case scenario and, if I was anywhere close to that answer, I selected it. (At least, in the resulting analysis I would have the worst case scenario - can't be any worse; right?). So, I took the test. It is pretty thorough to the extent such a test can be and far more than my expectations - it deals with eating, exercise, body pollutants, hereditary issues, mental health, and more.

If you have any kind of goal to take better care of yourself, this is a good place to start. Then, after a period of time (no, not the next day, okay?), retake the test. I personally hope to reward myself with good news.

Here's to your health!

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. _{Proverbs 3:7, 8}

HOW you say it!

Over the weekend I quickly went into the market to use the ATM to make a withdrawal. On my way out a bagger flagged me down to tell me I took the cashier's pen. I assured her I had only been to the ATM and therefore couldn't have taken anyone's pen, having no need to use one and there being no pen there. Okay, I am not that thin skinned, so I just shook off her statement as I got in my car subsequent to her 'O' and no apology for the accusation. In my mind, I thought of the customer-correct ways she could have presented her comment. Maybe - miss, by any chance do you still have the cashier's pen?. But no.

Without always reacting to it, I do happen to be somewhat sensitive to the way things are said to me. Growing up around the ever-hovering presence of anger and verbal abuse, okay so maybe I can be highly (I like that better than 'over') reactive. I definitely take notice of it, and if it is said too indifferently, too harsh, too critically or otherwise negatively, I have difficulty with it. And that is why I like this article.

the way we emphasize and use our tone of voice means a whole lot in the customer service arena. Think of all the ‘tones’ and deliveries we can use. A few that come to mind are...
1. Bored
2. Happy
3. Sad
4. Angry
5. Terrified
6. Worried
7. Unconcerned
8. Hurt
9. Inconsiderate
10. Shocked
You can take your own sentence and use any one of the emotions listed above. And certainly you can find other emotions to use, too.
Obviously, there are various tones we don’t want to use in certain situations

So often the words being conveyed would be so much better received had they been said differently. Generally people are not tone (of voice) deaf. I still like my mother's oft-used adage: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. It at least encourages 'thinking' before 'speaking'. Along with the antonyms, words can burn, chafe, chill, cut, rupture, stick, etc.; if words could kill ...

happiness and health

Considerations regarding Marriage:

The Ten Most Important Questions to Ask Before Marriage
Don't get married without knowing your future spouse's thoughts on these issues that can kill a marriage. Compromise is usually not an option if the two of you disagree on these issues that can be deal breakers.

Five Things You Can do to Improve Your Marriage
Although there are many ways to improve your marriage, this list of five things you can do to improve your marriage is centered around major red flag issues that can tear your marriage apart.

And Considerations for the New Year:

Here are just a few tips on making 2007 happy and healthy. Learn How to Better Control Food Portions How to Relax in 2 Minutes Create a Family Disaster Plan How to Prevent/Treat Colds or the Flu Ergonomic Tips for a Healthier Workstation

_{Spotlighted on About.com}

keep the crunch...

it is highly rumored by my own design that I don't know how to cook (I can eke out a few entrées - however, I do reheat, an even with that I could always use some tips (I like to make things look like they aren't leftovers ;-)) - and I like checking out all the features of the new oven. So in the quest of perfectly reheating fried chicken regaining the crunchiness, I came across this article:

...Some fried foods never come back from being chilled. Spring rolls, with their layers of wrapper, will never regain their crisp, flaky texture. Fried chicken, however, rebounds surprisingly well.

For fried chicken, place on a foil-lined baking sheet and transfer to a 350-degree oven until the exterior becomes somewhat crisp and the interior is warmed through, about 15 minutes for a thigh, 25 minutes for a breast.

For small fried foods wrapped in pastry of some sort, such as shrimp purses or wontons, use the same approach but far less time. Aim for 5 to 7 minutes...
_{By Renee Schettler, The Washington Post}

The article also covers rotisserie, boneless and skinless chicken; mashed potatoes; bread; vegetables -- whether they have been roasted, grilled, steamed, sauteed or stir-fried; potato varieties; roast beef; pie, and even quesadillas. Now that I've got the hook-up, I thought I'd share them with you. Who'd a thunk I'd be posting about cooking tips?!? Look out leftovers!