Pumpkin Spice Soda & Rum

Had a leftover Halloween pumpkin.  Decided to make some pumpkin puree for pie.  Got enough for 2 pies and had a skosh leftover.

I had read of a pumpkin spice syrup for Soda Stream™ but decided to whip up my own!

Cocktail Recipe by Heather Page-Farlow

Pour maple syrup into plate or rimmer.

Put edge of glass into syrup then into a tray of turbinado sugar.

Put in crushed ice.

Pour in Pumpkin Spice Soda

1 oz of spiced rum

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Recipe by Heather Page-Farlow

½ cup of pumpkin purée

½ cup agave or maple syrup

1 cinnamon stick

1 Good Earth Sweet and Spicy teabag

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of allspice

Splash of organic apple juice

Let simmer over low heat until reduced down. 

Strain through sieve, squeezing all the liquid out of the paste until only a dark liquid is left.

Place cinnamon stick in storage bottle.  Strain once again into storage bottle. Refrigerate.

To use with Soda Stream, carbonate a liter of filtered water.  Pour roughly ¼ cup of syrup into liter.Mix well

Sip and enjoy the tastes of the season.  You can even garnish with an apple slice.

More adventures in Soda Stream

Another batch of home made syrup.  Boiled up fresh lime, agave nectar and fresh mint.  Turned the flame down and reduced it.  Then drained it off and mixed with some #SodaStream.  Delightful.   Will make a nice mojito.

ADVENTURES IN SODA STREAM

      ALL NATURAL SODA-STREAM SYRUPS

We decided to buy a Soda Stream.  Really not supposed to drink soda - mostly cola - but thought this would be a much healthier alternative as we could choose all natural flavors and I found some great recipes for syrups made with fruits, herbs and natural sweeteners.  We ordered the machine from Amazon and within a week we'd tried the sample pack of flavors that came with the unit along with some flavors we'd concocted on our own.  I ordered some cucumber/mint no calorie flavoring and I decided it was time to try some of the recipes that I had gleaned off the internet and put on Pinterest; not to mention a book I had purchased for my Kindle.

1st Recipe - Berry Basil Syrup

The hubby had purchased some beautiful berries at Sprouts.  Juicy strawberries, plump blueberries and some ripe raspberries.  I took about 3 cups of strawberries that I had hulled and sliced and boiled them in a saucepan with the washed berries, 1 cups of water, ½ tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 cups of raw cane sugar and some fresh basil leaves.

I brought the mixture to a boil over high heat then reduced the heat and let them mixture simmer and I stirred to make sure the sugar was dissolved.  After cooking 10 minutes making sure the berries were soft, I then muddled the fruit and herb mixture and let that simmer for another 5 minutes.

 I then had to strain the mixture through a strainer to extract all the juice.  The recipe said to thro the mashed berry mixture away but I am saving it to mix with some quinoa or other grain for a delicious breakfast.  

    Strained juice mixed with berry-basil syrup is delicious!  Not too sweet and oh so refreshing!!!  The basil is subtle and the berry syrup not too sweet.  

After bottling up the Berry Basil Syrup I started on the next recipe.

2nd Recipe - Ginger Syrup

This began by slicing up some fresh ginger root into thin slices and added that to 2 cups of water and a cup of granulated sugar.    As the mixture boiled over a high heat I whisked in ¾ tablespoon of ground ginger to give it some added ginger flavor.  The heat was then reduced so the mixture could simmer and cook down until the the syrup is reduced by ½.  After boiling it was strained and put into a bottle and labeled to mix with the soda for some dry, refreshing ginger ale.

BEST LAID PLANS

Yessssssssssssss..............the intent was to blog.  To actually do some writing about what was going on my life.   To express what my life felt like and how I was coping (or not coping) with my life.  Oh yes, that was the plan.
This was it:
1.  Start a new blog - call it REBRAND (oh ain't that clever?)
2.  WRITE


It was really simple.  A 2 part plan and perhaps it was just too damned simple.  I thought it would work but then again - I am simple.  Therefore; it did not work. 


So it's been since JANUARY that I have written anything in this blog.  Oh sure I have done my time on FacebookAt that time I was rocking the Sun Salutation Club at the Farmer's Market and having a grand springtime.  Things were going ok.


Then I began my intensive yoga teacher training and that's when life got real, yo.  (I hear that's what the young hipsters say).  I had to take off about 6 weeks of every Thursday vacation day to go down to the studio and work on yoga ALL DAY.  Then I had to do homework and write essays.  I had not written an essay since 1980.  Really.  I thought those days were over for me.  Old dog/new tricks - that sort of thing.  However I persevered and got through all the classwork.  I am now just doing my student teaching at Yogini's.  I need to get in my 50 hours of teaching so I can get the certification.  GO FIGURE!  After all these years, at age 56 I go for yoga teacher training.  It still tickles the hell out of me.  I now have a plan of what to do after I retire.  It's kind of cosmic and cool.  I am enjoying it a lot.


Speaking of retiring.  I bought some service time for when I worked for the City and now I am sitting with 20 full years on the books with the State retirement system.  Now the question is to retire early and supplement that with yoga or hold on for another 2 years until full retirement and see if I am still willing to supplement with yoga.  I know the day job is aging me in dog years and I am not so sure if I will want to do anything at all after I retire in 2 years let alone teach yoga.  It's a big decision and I am not the best at big decisions.  I know my student teaching won't be over until summer's end and I get another retirement point (and $$$) for turning a year older in August.  Nothing is happening until then but I am going to a seminar with the retirement system on Wednesday the 16th.  I will find out more then and make a decision then.  Have to be honest I don't think the hubby is too terribly thrilled with the idea of me retiring.  Jealous?  Maybe.  Scared of losing insurance?  Probably.  Terrified of losing the income?  DEFINITELY.  I just have to make him realize that sometimes your dreams what the universe wants you to do is not the most lucrative.  However they bring abundance galore.


The daughter has been doing everything for her wedding in November.  Not much for us to do at this point she's so organized.  I am blessed to have a daughter so in charge of her own destiny and so resourceful, motivated and she is going to be SUCH a beautiful bride!  It will be a blessed event to see.


Speaking of blessed events - I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER!  The son - our eldest - and his wife of 5 (almost 6) years are expecting a baby in January!  January 2nd to be exact - a New Year's baby!  To say we're excited would be an understatement.  Her family is over the moon about the news as are we.  To think my "baby" boy is having a baby of his own in 6 short months blows my mind!  We are pushing for the names of G-Unit and Grandiddy.


The hubby changed jobs to one he is much happier in and is working his ass off.  At least he's enjoying himself.  Together we go on random date nights, hang out and watch TV and act like the middle-aged couple we are.  We can get rather predicable so I try to buy some different types of vouchers from Living Social and give us a taste of hip new local stuff.  It's good for us.


Writing in this blog is good for me.  I keep a yoga journal and this is a better way to get the personal stuff out.  I need to find the time (along with ALL the other stuff ) to actually sit down and write what I feel.


Right now I feel joyous.  I feel somewhat stuck in my life and ready for change.  Mostly I feel joyous.   I hope that's how everyone else is feeling too.

POST MLK DAY UPDATE

We went to the Barrett - Jackson car auction.  Even though most of the big, high profile and money cars sold the day prior; it was still very cool to see the old cars.  I have decided I would look great in a Packard.

 

 

After the time at the auction we hit a sports bar to watch the Patriots v Broncos game.  We lived in Boulder for 5 years so I am a Bronco fan so I am not as devastated that my Patriots lost.

Thank goodness Seattle won.

 

 

 

 

The hubby got the light - all ball- installed and it looks great.  We put a soft LED bulb in it.  He also fixed the leftover cracks and we got an umbrella to go out on the front patio where the entry used to be. 

 

 

Had a fine MLK Day off.  Did some yoga.   

 

Had a miserable week at work; shorthanded and drama-laden.  I am really not feeling it. 

We went to see "The Taming of the Shrew" done by Southwest Shakespeare are at the Mesa Arts Center.  It was an amazing production.  Love the show and this was one of the best productions of it I have seen.  

I taught my 2ndyoga  class at the Farmer's Market.  The daughter and her fiancé came to class.  It went pretty well.  We shall see if the business picks up as the weeks go on.

 

 

  

I Teach Yoga

OMG!  I am a yoga teacher!   2 students - Mary and Emily - came and had a great time!   Loved it!

  

  

HATHA WITH HEATHER

I start teaching yoga tomorrow.  Bright and early; 9 am Hatha With Heather will be at Central Farmers Market.   I am excited and terrified.  

Missing Yoga Practice

Last week was kind of crazy with the hubby's b-day and work schedule issue.  Because life got in the way I missed practice.  Ack!  I vowed (NOT a resolution - I don't do those) that I would start this week and go to daily practice after work again.  Get into the groove, the schedule, the Zen of it all.

HA! The Universe ROARED!  HA! 

I got some sort of virus thing that has been roaming around the cubicles at work despite the cold temperatures in the building.  There has been hacking, wheezing, sniffling, sneezing and all the other activities that go with cold and flu season.  Last week seemed to be a contest among some as to who could be the sickest one there at work.  Kids were being sent home from school and daycare with this nastiness so of course the parents go it.  Many of them also came to work feeling rugged because they'd had to use the time to take care of their sick kids first.  They hide it and tough it out. 

Needless to say I acquired a small case (compared to others) and spent the weekend flat on my back either in bed or parked in front of the TV watching the NFL Divisional Playoffs.  Saturday I drifted in and out of lucidity while I watched the Saints fall to the frightening Seahawks. The hubby came home from a day with the guys and fed me soup and 7-Up.  I sat pie-eyed and watched the Colts fall to my beloved Patriots.

 I had slammed back some, Tylenol, Wal-born and zinc lozenges.  I went to bed.  Felt a tad better on Sunday but pretty much followed the same routine with different teams (Broncos over Colts and the Panthers falling to the stinkin' 49'ers.  I hit the hay and got up this morning ready to seek vengeance upon those who had infected me - I went to work.  Dammit.



Of course yoga was completely out of the question.  I would not do that to my fellow practitioners. 
However, I miss it so much but know that I am not doing anyone any favors if I don't wait until I am 98%. Face it - at my age I will never be 100%; just close.

Playoff Football

I might be under the weather (I think - I am still in denial) but I can still get excited about some Playoff Football.   The hubby is out in Wickenburg at a friend's ranch for the day so I am going to hunker down, drink lots of fluids and watch tv.  Go Patriots!

A New Year - maybe some posts?

 

Wow - the last time I posted was May 2012?  Good Maude - where does the year go?

 Decided that this year I would really work on the ol' blog.  Post it up big time; give the few meager readers I got a major thrill.  It all sounded like a good idea but was in NO WAY a resolution because I don't do those - dammit.

So I pull up the blog here and realize that in 2013 I posted nothing.  Nada.  Bupkiss.  Zip. 
I also realize that the few meager followers I had were probably gone too.  Rebrand my ass; rebrand as a dang slacker.  I felt something I had not felt - blogger shame.  I had experience blogger remorse, blogger backlash and even blogger fail but never shame.  That kind of made me feel more ashamed.  However, I realized that was only making it worse so I had to IGNORE MYSELF and just accept my dereliction of blogging and move on.



So that's what I am doing.

I am not even going to give you a "year in review".  That would be just cruel.  To everyone.

Suffice to say that 2013 was a transformative year.  If references are made this year to things that happened last year I will try to give a "back story" to keep you few meager readers in the know.  Otherwise I am starting from scratch with this year.  Keeping it current, keeping it real.

To say that I am disappointed that the Central Farmer's Market has not contacted me to do some yoga classes at the Saturday markets would be an understatement.  I took those classes and am almost half way to yoga teacher certification and by golly I would really like to teach some classes.  I would also like to earn my tuition back and hopefully get a leg up on what I hope is my 2nd career after retirement from the State.  They seemed so anxious for me to start before the holidays.  I didn't because I was still finishing up my teacher training and also finishing up my Christmas shopping.  I put them off until the "new year".  Probably a foolish move.  They are no longer interested in Hatha With Heather.  Bummer.

I will keep practicing and training.  I am motivated and feeling physically better since doing yoga.  Mentally and emotionally I think it helps too.  I hasn't solved all my problems - but close. 

The hubby and I are still adapting to the empty nest syndrome and it gets easier every day.  We took lots of weekend trips last year.  Some successful, some not.  Our big vacation to New England for my father's funeral was terrific which is weird to say but it was. The trip was bittersweet. A hard reason to go back but it brought back great memories and a feeling of going back to my roots. The kids went and there was even a proposal!  So we've got the daughter's wedding to look forward to this year.   Like I said - the year was transformative.  

So this year will hopefully bring more posts.  I downloaded the mobile app and that should help. 
Just be patient with me.

I am still transforming.