So in a weak moment I ended up buying a new Fitbit Charge 5 (mentioned earlier in this thread). I'm such a sucker. I received it on Wednesday and it was a dud; wouldn't stay connected to bluetooth. I reloaded, upgraded software, restarted, spewed expletives, typed indignant posts on the Fitbit forum, you name it. No joy. So I reset the dud to factory settings and boxed back up; returned to Macy's the next day... boom! It seems like a nice tracker and it's a good size, but I'm tired of being a beta tester for technology that's rushed to market in time for Christmas. Fix your product, Fitbit.
I am real leery of anything fresh on the market at Christmas time. I haven't had one good experience buying any new technology weeks before Christmas.
@Faye Fox , I ordered a handbag from a company based in Portland; "Portland Leather Goods." I received it today and it is impeccable quality. Their prices are excellent for hand-made leather products. They have a small storefront in Portland, too.
They make an awesome crossbody bag I like but would rarely use so I restrain myself. I have one of their bi-fold wallets in the cold brew color. Hi-quality leather and craftsmanship.
@Beth Gallagher What I like about their products is the leather is from USA cattle and with no synthetics added. I love the natural finish with marks and blimishes. They are made in Leon, Mexico but they pay their craftspeople fairly and I think that is reflected in their products. Their products are superior to the China or India-made leather goods.
I need to keep up with my diary; it's such a fascinating read. I'm feel pretty good these days; even my mood is upbeat. I've been exercising more and trying to avoid holiday sweets, but the sweets are winning. (Especially those chocolate covered cherries; they are like crack.) I'm up to walking 3 miles a day and at least 20 minutes on the rebounder (mini-trampoline). My heart rate has never gotten back to normal since all my treatments, so I'm hoping the exercise will help. Plus it just makes me feel better to get some exercise. I'm worrying about my buddies @Frank Sanoica and @Bibbi Wright and hoping they are both OK and we'll see them soon. Tomorrow I'm going to get into my kitchen and work on re-organizing all the cabinets. I have so much "stuff" and it needs a serious revamp. For the past several months stuff has just been hap-hazard in there and it's getting on my nerves. I bought some new LeCreuset pieces recently and discovered that there is absolutely nowhere to store them. So much stuff; I see a trip to Goodwill in my future. I also want to plan some new landscaping for our front yard; everything out there is tired looking. Things never really recovered since the hard freeze last February. I want to dig out all the old shrubs and some azaleas, move some and toss the rest. Then start fresh with different stuff. We also need a new shade tree for the front but we can't decide what kind we want. Hopefully by the spring we'll have a plan.
Well, I had good intentions but the kitchen cabinets are still not organized. What did I do all day?? It was a stormy day as a front pushed through and it got colder, so I mostly putzed around and lounged on the sofa with a book. I managed to get in 11,131 steps so far today and 20 minutes on the trampoline, so all was not lost. Chick-fil-a opened a new location that is closer to our house so we decided to try it. My husband went through the drive-thru and picked up dinner. We were disappointed that the food didn't measure up to CFA's usual standards; I suppose they are still learning the ropes. We should have given it a few weeks before trying out a new location. I'm still mad at CFA for discontinuing their cole slaw. I should start a "Bring Back the Slaw" petition. Speaking of chicken, I made 4 pints of chicken stock today for the freezer. I like having homemade soup base or broth on hand for recipes. I hope @Sheldon Scott doesn't read this; he'll realize how boring I am.
What did you make your broth with? Did you use whole parts (breast, thigh, etc) and bone the meat for other uses? Back in the day when they cut up the meats in-store, we could buy necks...and wings were cheap before "Buffalo."
Rotisserie chicken carcass (fairly meaty), onion, celery, carrots, water. Simmered for about 4 hours then strained and what little meat was left picked off the bones. If I use whole raw chicken parts I can make a bigger pot of broth but I just wanted to use the carcass.
I made a mistake when I made that stew...I added herbs to the carcass as though it were raw chicken that needed flavoring. The herbs collided with the seasoning that was already on the rotisserie chicken. I ate it, but it was borderline funky. p: I'm glad you didn't clean out your cabinets. You have no idea the guilt you've lifted off of my shoulders.
I always buy the plain rotisserie chicken without any seasoning. We don't usually like the flavored stuff, though we pull the skin off anyhow. I "might" do some cabinet work tomorrow. Or not.
I started thinking back to when I routinely made broth. It was when whole chicken cost 49¢ a pound and I would part the thing out myself. I can't recall the last time I did that...it hardly seems cost-effective anymore. If I run out of neighbor-supplied Sam's Club chicken, I'm buying thighs & breasts.
A rotisserie chicken works well for us because my husband likes dark meat and I like white meat. If I lived alone I'd only buy chicken breast. I have a bone-in turkey breast in the freezer that I'll be cooking before long.
I am the opposite and like dark meat. The last time I cooked up a huge turkey that was given to me for volunteering, I kept all the dark meat and gave the rest away to a friend. When her hubs got home he was excited because he smelled turkey and she told him Faye cooked it then smoked it. When he sat down and didn't find any dark meat he grumbled and said he didn't like me anymore. When I am over there and she mentions having a party I volunteer to bring a turkey (some say I am an instigator ) and he puts up his hands and says no, no, no! Last year he invites his widower friend over and introduces me with "some women will steal your heart, but Faye will steal all the dark meat."