I hope everyone has a grand day!

We really do have much to be thankful for!

I thank you all for your friendship!

((hugs))

Just in case you are a few of those who have not seen this email about “bananas” ~ well here is one more attempt to promote this as “the” fruit to eat!

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! ~ Do you know why?  It is because the skin darkens, but the fruit doesn’t ripen as fast; so if you don’t want the fruit to get too ripe, then place them in a brown paper bag, put in the fridge, and enjoy them a while longer before they become too soft to eat and you need to make banana bread, with nuts of course as they are very healthy!

This is interesting … After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again. 

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body; so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief. 

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness. 

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. 
 

Overweight and at work: Studies found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips.  Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs and the report concluded that to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady. 

Temperature Control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers.  In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature. 
 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan. 
 

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking.  The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. 
 

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance.  When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels.  These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack. 
 

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
 

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out.  Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape! 
 

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.  When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.  It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.   So maybe its time to change that well known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! 

Now, that's what I'm talking about!

Got time for a cup of coffee ~

and a friendly chat?

and cookies, too!

In the same theme as PirateGirl's 'open range'

We owe so much to our Veteran's!

Every one of them!

God Bless them all!

Speaking of coffee …

I love the smell of freshly made coffee.  My sister and husband grind their coffee beans and it is such a pleasant aroma ~ ahhh ~ I liked the smell of fresh coffee before I learned to drink coffee.  I enjoy my coffee twice ~ the first time is when the beans are ground, and then when I drink it.

I never drank coffee until I was over 20 years old. I never thought I liked the taste of coffee, as it seemed to be too bitter.  However, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee was so good.   One morning my father suggested I try a cup of coffee prepared as he drank his.  He added a rounded teaspoon of sugar to his cup of coffee, along with some coffee cream.  Real coffee cream, not half and half like we use today.  I tried it and found it not so bitter and so decided I could drink it like that. 

One morning when my mother was in the hospital I decided I could make the coffee as a nice gesture.  So I made a pot of coffee for breakfast.  The only problem was that I didn’t put enough ground coffee in the basket and so the coffee was weak by normal standards.  I liked it like that as it wasn’t so strong.  Father reminded me that coffee can always have some water added to it, but once it has perked it can’t be made stronger.  He named my weak coffee “Connie Coffee” and anytime he would have weak coffee, no matter where he was, he referred to it as “Connie Coffee” and we have laughed about it many times. 

So, it is correct that I like my coffee with cream and sugar, or ½ and ½.  My favorite place to have coffee is the Big Boy Restaurant chain as they use real coffee cream ~ ahhh and it is so good!

If you read Surrogate’s post of 11/7/08 he gives a rather precise description of how to prepare a cup of coffee for me.  He is pretty accurate, however I did reply with a few clarifications.  Read it if you haven’t ~ it is quite hilarious!

Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?  You can have yours any way you’d like; even black if that is your preference.  I’ve got some chocolate chip cookies to go with our coffee also.

((hugs))