Lightening Online

I had this bright idea that it would be good to sell M&M Cookies at a food stall our church is running next week. Our kids always love getting them at Subway so I’m hoping it’ll be something the kids will enjoy.

The thing is, I don’t usually use a recipe when I bake biscuits. Which is okay for the family because if they’re a flop - too bad. But I don’t really want to be cooking the day before our 3 day event and having flops.

So, I’ve been practising (much to my family’s delight).

Different recipes (if you can call them that) or variations of recipes.

And different sizes.

They want to keep all the homebaked goods to the same price. Two years ago it was 50c. This year they’re talking about charging $1. Which makes sense for the cake and the florentines. That’s still a bargain compared to store prices.

So, I want to make sure my biscuits/cookies are a decent enough size that $1 doesn’t seem to be too expensive but not so big that they’re overwhelming for kids.

I think this is a bit too big:

That’s a side plate, not a dinner plate. But it’s still a BIG cookie!!! Mind you, all 3 of my kids came home from school/preschool today and really WANTED the big cookies!!!

So, what do you think? What size would a cookie/biscuit need to be for you to be happy paying $1 for? Bearing in mind M&M’s aren’t cheap! And this is a “show” of sorts (Field Days) although we try not to be overpriced.

And yes, tomorrow I will share with you the recipe - providing I settle on one. Or maybe I’ll just share with you the different variations and you can decide for yourselves.

Image via WikipediaLeighton informs me that Leighton Hewitt’s name is spelt with 2 “L’s” at the beginning.

Like this???? Lleighton.

Hmmm…..

I don’t think so.

Apparently it’s actually spelt “Lleyton”. *sigh*

Is it MY fault Lleyton Hewitt’s parents can’t spell????

An online one.

Wanna come?

You see, if it wasn’t for distance, I’d want you all there (or is that here?)

So I’m trying something different.

A blog Tupperware party.

So will you come to my blog tupperware party?

And help me get a few things for our caravan?

When?

Any time in the next 2 weeks (so no excuses for not being able to make it ).

Wind up will be Tuesday 19th August at which time I’ll let you know if this was a good idea or a total flop.

Why would you want to get involved?

1. Because you love me
2. Because Tupperware ROCKS!!!
3. Because there will be PRIZES - a random draw from all those who get involved by booking a party, placing an order or making a small donation.

How Do You Get Involved?

It’s simple really. There are 3 ways you can get involved in helping me stock our caravan in readiness for our trip.

1. BOOK your own Tupperware party.

Just let me know that you’d like to host your own Tupperware party and I’m sure we can make arrangements. The dealer doing this party lives in Melbourne so Melbournites in particular, PLEASE will you have a party???? If you don’t live in Melbourne, perhaps you’d like to have a catalogue party (or attempt a blog party like this one???). If you don’t live in Melbourne but would like a face to face party, I’m sure we could work something out.

2. Place an Order

You can find the entire range at the Tupperware website.

Of particular interest and worth checking out is the current August Preview with limited release Kung Fu Panda items and sales specials. There are a couple of the pantry sets available this month at 15% and 20% discount.

There will be a postage charge on orders but the good thing about Tupperware is that it is light so most orders are likely to fit in one of the prepaid satchels that Australia Post offers. Feel free to ask for a postage quote before finalising your order.

To place an order or book a party, simply email me at lightening at lighteningonline dot com (replacing at with @ and dot with . and removing all spaces).

3. Make a small donation

If you’d like to get involved but are not interested in placing an order or booking a party at this time, you can make a small donation using the paypal donate button below.

This would be like a housewarming/shower type gift and I’m giving you this opportunity in the spirit of the “party” but naturally would not want anyone to feel obligated.

Why Tupperware?

I know I bang on about frugality from time to time on this blog and some of you may be wondering about my wanting to purchase something as expensive as Tupperware. I am of the opinion that with some items you do get what you pay for and my experience with Tupperware is that it pays for itself in keeping food fresh.

With our trip, I feel it’s going to be doubly important to have seals that I can rely on (so that stuff doesn’t spill on the move) and being able to organise my fridge to optimise space usage is also likely to save us money (and hassle) on the move.

My Caravan Wishlist

Go Flex - perfect for when you don’t have much space. These fold down flat when not in use.

Clear Mates - I like the way they lock together and make the best use of space available. If I have to survive with a caravan sized fridge for 3 months, I figure I need to make the best use of what space I do have.

Slimline Pitchers - These look like a great shape for making good use of space in the fridge.

Ahh…I could talk about Tupperware forever. I do LOVE it. But I’ll try not to bore you for too much longer. If you have any questions or would like to share your favourite Tupperware item, feel free to do so in the comments section below.

Please help me make my “blog Tupperware party / caravan warming party” a success.

Image via WikipediaI went to my training session today feeling a little bit flat and tired. It’s been a fairly busy few days for me and my body is feeling it.

Of course, once I got there and got started, it was amazing how much energy I uncovered. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how much more I manage to do in my personal training sessions when compared to what I might achieve on my own.

As usual, today, there were a number of moments where my mind was going “there’s no way I can do that” and yet, somehow I manage to do it. Sometimes it’s only just. But I constantly surprise myself by doing things I honestly think are not possible.

Which has gotten me to thinking about how much we must limit ourselves by our own thoughts at times.

I had a similar experience to this with netball on Saturday. Before we’d even left home on Saturday morning, I had a feeling I was going to play better than I had been? Why? I’ve been in a bit of a “netball funk” for a few weeks now. Feeling very negative about myself and my lack of netball skills. With some help from a friend or two, I was feeling like I’d finally come out of that “funk”.

Not only did I play better (as far as I was concerned) but I also enjoyed the game a whole lot more and came away from it feeling positive (despite the fact that we lost).

I don’t think it matters how fit or skillful we are - a LOT of our successes and failures happen in the way we view things and the way we THINK.

It kinda makes me wonder what we could possibly achieve if we dared to believe in ourselves….

Image via WikipediaAs promised, here is my exercise run-down for the week:
Sunday - froze at least 10kg off at a Football Carnival (okay, in my dreams but it’s the closest I came to exercising on Sunday - and it was FREEZING!!!!)

Monday - Billy Blanks DVD (4o-45 minutes)

Tuesday - Cleaned the House in 4 x 15 minute blocks. Only low impact exercise but that counts yeah?

Wednesday - Gym with my Gym Buddy. It nearly killed me but I did end up with 45 minutes of exercise. Followed by a Mars Bar.

Thursday - Awesome netball training. 1.5 hours (we usually train around that amount but it does vary depending on many factors)

Friday - does walking around shops count??? What about exercising my credit card???

Saturday - 3 x 15 minute quarters of netball plus the warm up before hand.

Today I had grand plans to go for a walk/jog but by the time we got home this afternoon I was just feeling too tired. So it didn’t happen. I am wondering about making Sundays a “rest day” in terms of exercise. I’m torn because it’s a day when Farmboy is around so it’s an opportunity for me to go for a run.

So 4 actual exercise sessions for the week.

Eating This Week:

No vegemite on toast despite almost giving in a couple of times.

Too much chocolate although given the hormonal status of the week I think I did well.

Big day out on Friday and while I didn’t go silly, I did have a bun for morning tea (no butter though) and KFC for lunch. Does Subway for tea help counteract that????

Weight Loss This Week:

Oops, I forgot to weigh myself this morning. So I’m not sure. 

Goals For the Coming Week:

Aim for 5 exercise sessions (1 up on the 4 I managed this week).

Work on eating healthy lunches. I’d been doing well in this area but have slacked off a bit. Will have to see how much pumpkin soup is left. I LOVE soup for lunch at this time of year.