Jen FitzGerald's Blog, page 34

MY DALLAS STARS are the Western Conference Champions

 

We got the win...

   

...and we're headed for the Stanley Cup Finals!!!

 The boys will get a much needed extra few days to rest and then it'll be on to the Finals.

And just for shits and giggles...we used to see this clip in the arena during games but not often anymore...and I miss it.

Have a great week. Wheeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

ONE WIN AWAY!!

 

I know you're probably getting tired on my hockey posts, but this is what's going on with me right now...

Saturday night's big win earned us the Stars Reunion Tower Ball sequence. I was so very glad to see it.

Our boys are now up 3-1 in the best of seven series. A win tonight sends us to the Stanley Cup Finals.

HOLY COW.

In other news...

There is no other news. :0)

I've been going to work and going to hockey watch parties. There has been no writing and no editing. Because I'm out late, I'm sleeping in because I need my sleep. I know this about myself. So I'm using this as an opportunity to take a break from the book so that when it's time to dive back in, I'll have fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.

BUT LET'S

 

Have a great week! Mine may be a roller coaster...

 

 

In Memoriam

 

If we don't remember, we are doomed to forget...

Which is why I find the whole notion of tearing down Civil War statues and memorials a bit paradoxical. I get it; I do. On the other hand--if we hide away the negative reminders, are we setting ourselves up to repeat?
 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

On the Other Hand...

Winners Get Sprinkles

and they get

Victory Green and the team logo displayed on the outside of the Omni Hotel in Dallas.

I was hoping for the Reunion Tower Ball to be lit up, but got the Omni instead.

Our team leads the series, 2-1 now with a much needed win last night.

Have a great weekend!!

Labor Day Road Trip

 

As I usually do over Labor Day weekend, I went to visit my family. This year there was a new baby to meet and I was quite taken with my grand niece Christine.

Unlike years past where we've ventured out--we stayed in. I spent time bonding with the new baby and sharing my hockey passion with my family. Usually there's no hockey in late August/early September, but this year there was. So they fed me good food and kindly allowed me to take over the TV as soon as I walked in the door. :0)

She's a happy low-maintenance girl and I can't wait to see her next year.

Hope you had a lovely long weekend!

 

 

My Latest Little Project Done...

Somewhere along the line, I started collecting salt and pepper shakers. Don't ask me me why. The first set was so cute, I couldn't help myself. The next one was easier, as was the next, until I found myself with six sets. Then I bought a set for DH and then a few weeks ago I got another set as a gift. They've been sitting in a nice display on my dining room table, but they often had to be moved in order to work on various and sundry craft projects. No, eating doesn't happen at the able often. :0)

So I went from this:

And this:

To this:

I'm tickled with the way it turned out.

In other news, SPRINKLES all around!! my Dallas Stars won their game last night, putting them ahead in the best of seven series, 3-1. They play again tonight and could eliminate their opponent and move on to the third round for the first time since 2008. It's not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but they've come this far--farther than I honestly expected them to, so remember to send all the good vibes to Edmonton.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

Human Rights Are More Important Than Sports

That's the message coming from the approximately 250 NHL Players who requested and received a  postponement of games scheduled to be played Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th, 2020 in response to the latest instance of police brutality toward a person of color. Toward a Black man.

Players of all colors and nationalities came together to shine a light on a major issue plaguing not just the U.S. but Canada as well.

We all know that boycotting or postponing sporting events of any stripe isn't going to rid the world of racism, but what it does do is start the conversations. What's so important that athletes willingly don't play the sport they love enough to have committed their lives to? Especially right now when two of those sports are in the middle of their playoffs...?

Jacob Blake's status as a Black man is the only important thing here, not his arrest record. Our country supposedly has laws and procedures for arresting people. Unless the officer's life is in the balance, he or she should do everything in his or her power to get the person of interest under arrest with as little harm/permanent damage done as possible and let the judicial system handle the rest. (I know there are issues there too, but that a whole nother can of worms. *sigh*)

I understand that there are nuances and layers to every arrest situation from both sides of the equation. I understand that there are multiple nuances and layers to the greater issue at hand. I also understand that there are no easy answers. But the conversations need to happen.

Have a great weekend.

Sustained Ketosis

 

It took me a while to get back into eating a keto diet after my trip to the lake, but back into it I finally got. However, since my foray into eating keto back in the spring, the results were hit or miss, variable, discouraging.

Eating a keto diet means, at its basic level, that carbs make up 5% or less of a person's macronutrients on any given day. Macronutrients are carbs, protein, and fats.

 And in looking that up, I realized why I was having such a hard time.. I was operating under incorrect information. For some reason, I thought I needed to stay under 20% carbs! And all I was doing was making sure anything I ate was less than 7% of the % Daily value as listed in the nutritional value panel. Ha!

This screen shot is from today after I quickly added my breakfast. I don't actually use the Fitbit anymore. It taught me what I needed to know. Obviously, I have a ways to go for the day, in terms of caloric intake and leveling out the percentages of the macronutrients, but that's were I'm sitting as of posting time.

Last week I opted to give up the yogurt (7%) I was eating to see what would happen and everything else I've been consuming has been 1% or less carbs. And so... Sustained ketosis!

I eat a lot of protein and need to up my fat and veggie intake for sure--which, salads with creamy dressing are just fine with me. I've been on a Ceasar salad kick again, so win-win.

I'll be staying on track through next week so that I can eat whatever is put in front of me while visiting my family. There may be pizza and ice cream in my future or a big fat juicy burger and fries! Maybe not.

Sadly, however, Blue Bell and Pecan Pralines and Cream is not a staple in Nebraska, so I might have to settle for something...else.

Hope you're having a great week. Catch you Friday.

A Long Time Coming

 

We finally got a new bed. I won't tell you how long it'd been, but a new bed has been way past due. While we were at it, we upgraded from queen to king, which meant all new bedding and some new pillows for decoration. Painting and new window treatments will come when it cools off so I can have windows open...

The old setup...

Sweeping and mopping with a little help from Karma kitty.

The elves putting the bed frame/platform together.

Letting the mattress expand after being shrink wrapped.

I still need pillows for the shams and the king size pillows for decoration more than sleeping, but here it is. First night's sleep in the new bed was most excellent.

And my Dallas Stars won game one of Round 2. They needed the win to keep wind in their sails. Tonight is game 2. BE LOUD. WEAR GREEN. GO STARS!!

Have a great week.

Second Round Sprinkles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Our boys in Victory Green won last night in spectacular fashion, going from 3 goals down to 4 goals ahead for a 7-3 victory over the Calgary Flames, which allowed them to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In the process, they set a couple of records, not just for the franchise, but within the NHL as a whole.

Their second round match-up is the Colorado Avalanche, a team who is on a tear, but whom we beat every time we faced them in the regular season. Now the regular season was a million years ago and the Avs have their star players playing like stars (unlike our star players), so I don't know how much those wins mean now.

On the other hand, we don't have to face the St. Louis Blues for whom we have some sort of mental block--they knocked us out last in year in double overtime of Game 7 in round two. Depending on what happens in their game tonight--we may not have to face them at all... Of course, if we don't get past the Avs, it won't matter.

Sooooo, say it with me:

Have a great weekend!!

Winners Get Sprinkles and I get Ice Cream

 

Darryl "Razor" Reaugh--color commentator for Stars' broadcasts started the idea.

Perhaps surprising many of their fans, the Dallas Stars have played pretty decent hockey in their past two games, earning two wins in a row and taking a 3-2 lead in the best of seven game series. Should they win their next game, they will move on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In celebration, I'm sharing pictures of some crafts DD and I made a couple of months ago.

The numbers on the paw pads represent my favorite players: 14--Jamie Benn, the captain; 45--Roman Polak, who's since gone back to the Czech Republic for good (sniffle); 23--Esa Lindell, a member of the Finnish Mafia and one of our top 4 defensemen; and 35--Anton Khudobin, the "backup" goalie.

So when I say the Finnish Mafia, it's just a nickname for the group of Finns on the team; there are three of them and they are all bright young studs. As for our backup goalie, he's absolutely good enough to be a starter, but we have him as a quote/unquote backup. And thank goodness. Our #1 goalie has been out with an injury and no one--team or fans--has to worry any longer about the goaltending situation like we used to. So "backup" is something of a misnomer, hence the quote marks.

This guy--isn't he cute?--started life as an unfinished kit we got on clearance at a local craft store right after Christmas last year. I've been on the hunt for more of them, but they all come with swords or guns and those don't work for our purposes... Hoping there will be more this Christmas season as I think DD and I could paint a few of them and sell them to people on the Facebook Group we're a part of.

As for me, I've been beating the heat with homemade Keto ice cream. I know this doesn't look that appealing... lol ...but it tastes pretty darn good.

This is chocolate caramel peanut ice cream with chopped caramel chips and chopped peanuts. It's a little too rich between the cocoa powder and the chopped caramel chips, so maybe a bit less cocoa powder next time around.

I've also made various other flavors, all to my satisfaction, including chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate caramel pecan, chocolate caramel peanut, coconut chocolate chip, and chocolate caramel coconut. Tonight, I'm looking forward to coconut pecan. No chocolate.

I have some anise extract, but I've yet to decide what to pair/mix it with...feel free to offer suggestions.

The base ice cream recipe, along with flavor additions, can be found here if you're so inclined to try it.

Have a great rest of your week.