Weekday Rambler

Smiley Anders was the guest speaker at the Woman's Hospital Auxiliary luncheon today.  Woman's Hospital is one of the largest women’s specialty hospitals in the United States and is recognized throughout the country for its innovative programs for women and their families. Most of the babies born in Baton Rouge are born at Woman's.  It's a nonprofit hospital and the Auxiliary lends support in volunteer hours and fund raising.  I have met many wonderful people through volunteering and I have felt the work to be very rewarding.  You can find out more about Woman's and the numerous ways it serves the community at http://www.womans.org/.  There are many ways to support the hospital.  (http://www.womans.org/giving_opportunities)   How rewarding to further the health and well-being of women and children of the community!  Every gift, whether time or money, is so much appreciated.

For those of you in the Baton Rouge area, Smiley Anders needs no introduction.  He has been…

I love Spinach Queso.  You have probably ordered a  dip like this at a restaurant.  It's normally served with tortilla chips and is loaded with flavor and salt.  The combination of cheese, peppers, tomatoes and spinach are not only tasty, but visually appealing as well. 

The problem I have found with this type of appetizer (in addition to the calories) is the huge amount of salt consumed with the tortilla chips and the cheeses in the dip.  "Various organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, have published recommendations on daily sodium limits. Most recommend not exceeding the range of 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams (mg) a day for healthy adults. Keep in mind that the lower your sodium, the more beneficial effect on blood pressure." (www.mayoclinic.com)  I don't have high blood pressure, but there are many who do.  There are many products available at the grocery store that are "reduced sodium" and I believe that lower…

When my mother-in-law went to her final resting place a few years ago we inherited a platform rocking chair from her home.  This chair had a history and special meaning to my husband as it was purchased when he was a small child.  Over the years it had been many colors and had been in several spots in several houses, but it has found a place in our new home in Zachary.  I was interested to know about platform rockers and found on the Internet that "platform rockers had been patented and were in production by the late eighteen and early nineteen-hundreds. Some owners thought the platform rocker to be superior to the ordinary rocking chair because most rockers were considered hard to place near walls." (http://www.designboom.)/  You can rock in this type chair all day and it will not travel across the room as a traditional rocking chair tends to do.

In the process of downsizing this year, we had decisions to make on which pieces of furniture to toss, donate or sell.  There was …