Fitness, Junk Mail, Vitamins, Cookies & Quote

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PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS TEST FOR ADULTS
Remember in school, when everyone would do the Presidential Fitness Test and you could compete with scores to be in the best shape possible? Well, now it’s available for adults as well. Head to this site for lots of ideas for getting active, staying in shape, and measuring your progress in endurance, strength, and flexibility. POST IT…on your bathroom mirror.

Stop Junk Mail! Save Trees!

GreenDimes stops your entire household's junk mail and plants 10 trees on your behalf for $20. We also offer you the choice to remove only the catalogs you don't want. Check it out here:
Our impact is huge. In just over a year, we've stopped 3 million pounds of junk mail and saved/planted 1,000,000 trees. We have over 75,000 happy members and have gotten a ton of press - NY Times, Ellen, Good Morning America to name a few.
Note from Lucy: I'm not a tree hugger, but it would be nice to save some trees and stop some of that junk mail.....

VITAMINS FOR EASILY UPSET STOMACHS:
While we should always try to get our vitamins from food, some of us need some supplementation (always check with your doctor first). But many people have problems with vitamins upsetting their stomachs. So here are some tips to ease that problem. First, try taking the vitamins with food, or at least milk; avoid an empty stomach. If you still have an upset stomach, then try taking liquid vitamins which are absorbed more readily. Nature Made is a major company that has recently started a line of liquid vitamins, including B, C, D, calcium, and multis. There are also some vitamins that are in liquid form naturally like E, CoQ10, and Flaxseed/Fish oils. If all else fails, adults can also take children’s vitamin/mineral supplements. If the chewables are still causing problems, consider the gummy versions. POST IT…with your vitamins.

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RECIPE: MICHELLE OBAMA’S SHORTBREAD COOKIES (from Family Circle magazine) A couple of weeks ago we had Cindy McCains cookie recipe, now I have found Michelle Obama’s recipe…… Which one do you like?
Ingredients:
• 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons Amaretto (almond liqueur)
• 1 teaspoon each orange and lemon zest
• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg white
• Chopped nuts or dried fruit (optional)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line a 17 x 12 x 1-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. In large bowl, cream together butter and 1-1/2 cups of the sugar.
2. Slowly add egg yolks, and beat well until smooth. Beat in Amaretto and zest.
3. Stir in flour and salt until combined.
4. Spread dough evenly into prepared pan, flattening as smoothly as possible.
5. Brush top of dough with egg white; sprinkle with nuts or fruit (if using) and with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
6. Bake at 325°F for 25 minutes or until brown, turn off oven and allow cookies to sit in oven (with door ajar) for 15 minutes. Cut while slightly warm. Makes 6 ½ dozen.
POST IT…on your shopping list, in your recipe box, and on your computer.
Click here: To print out in recipe card sizes.

All of the above items came from the Make a Note weekly emails that I get.

I like this statement:
"We are not born into this world with fixed habits. Neither do we inherit a noble character. Instead, as children of God, we are given the privilege and opportunity of choosing which way of life we will follow—which habits we will form. Confucius said that the nature of men is always the same. It is their habits that separate them. Good habits are not acquired simply by making good resolves, though the thought must precede the action. Good habits are developed in the workshop of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct our lives and form our character are fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life. They are acquired by practice."
--Delbert L. Stapley, "Good Habits Develop Good Character", Ensign, Nov. 1974, 20

Note from Lucy: I'll be out of town this weekend and won't be back till late Monday night. I'll get my first and last look at Yankee Stadium before they tear it down. After watching the home run derby and the All Star Game, last night, I am really getting excited about seeing the stadium in real life. Bonnie will be here to hold the fort down and feed the cat, no worries!

Have a great week everyone!