STAVANGER, NORWAY

Stavanger – the first Norwegian city we visited. Like the people in the Netherlands, riding bikes, walking and hiking were national pastimes. As we toured we learned so much about the people and their desire for a healthy life style. I sure there are overweight, smokers in Stavanger but I didn’t see them. We felt that this was such a beautiful city with very friendly people. It's hard to say inspired when there every thing on the cruise ship is a food event.

BACK FROM THE NORTH

We loved our trip. That being said no one told me we would have to worry about 3 hurricanes in the frigid north Atlantic.

This is Greenland. The waters were so clear they showed every reflection.

THIS IS IT!

Today we are off for a trip to see the norther lands of the Vikings. Tonight we will fly over the atlantic and tomorrow we will be in the Netherlands (don't call it Holland - that would be like saying you were going to California when you were visiting St. Louis - so we are told).

A BOX OF SUNSHINE

Source: katherinemariephotography.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

I haven't done any projects from Pinterest lately so I thought it was time to do something. I have a friend going through a very hard time so I decided to make a sunshine box. My box has almost exactly the same ingredients as the box on Pinterest. The difference was instead of having Tiffany Box Blue ribbon my ribbon is teal. I don't know if its better but it was much easier to find. By the time I found all the boxed items and candy I was tired of looking for the unusual items. I used yellow scrapbook paper to line the box and covered it with yellow tissue paper. It was a fun project and it is hoped that it will bring a little sunshine into my friends world right now.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

I heard someone say, “There’s no pride in being what you are but in what you do with it.” I have thought a lot about this statement. As a school child I was intimidated by those who were so very intelligent. As a mother I was in awe with those who were knowledgeable in every situation. At church there were brilliant scriptoriums. And so the list goes on. I saw only my limits.

Today, as a 60+ year-old I realize that I have great intelligence but I have dyslexia. I haven’t allowed my handicap keep me from graduating with a master’s degree and having a successful counseling practice. By taking classes and workshops I became the mother I wanted to be. I have read the scriptures daily and studied inspired writings for decades. I now know more than I ever thought possible.

There are things I wish I had learned or tried doing but for the most part I am happy with what I have accomplished with my life. If I have learned anything about living this life is it is by small but consistent effort that great changes have come into my life. I also believe what I read by Hugh B. Brown, “You can do anything you want. You just can’t do everything you want.”

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF PINTEREST

Like millions of others I’ve become a fan of Pinterest. I have enjoyed wasting time on Pinterest especially when I have insomnia. It’s amazing what you can find there. Recently I’ve noticed a trend on Pinterest. It appears some people are confused as to how to lose weight and become healthy.

Many friends have wonderful workout and diet tips pinned. It’s obvious this is something that excites not just my friends but also the general public. The motivational quotes to get you up and moving, reminders that you will regret not working out but you will feel pride in your accomplishments or love yourself in the morning, “right now is the time to move off the computer and begin exercising” are truly inspirational. Once you decide you are going to exercise there is enough exercises to leave even the best personal trainer awed. You are going to find detox ideas, perfect recipes for any type of diet, even entire menus for Thanksgiving for those who are looking to keep their family healthy. Did I mention you can find diets you didn’t even know existed?

What I find ironic is these very same individuals with diet and workout pins have also pinned the best decadent desserts and meals. There are incredible variations of brownies, cookies, cakes, puddings and pies you ever could imagine. If you prefer a cake mix rather than beginning with just a bowl and a pantry full of ingredients you can find out how to convert that ordinary mix into something amazing. Not to be outdone by desserts you can find dinner, salads and bread recipes to make any mouth water. In the food and drink section you will find all the cheesy, buttery, deep fat fried meals your heart could ever desire. How about sweet pork tacos and with spicy ranch dressing, chicken cheesy lasagna, white cheddar and parmesan mac and cheese, spicy Dorito casserole, cornbread mixed with yellow cake mix, cream crepes or strawberries filled with cream,  well you get the idea.

So today I did 8 miles on my elliptical before I planned dinner. What shall I fix? Well without any guilt it will be Cheesecake Factory Chicken Marsala, with a BLT Pasta salad, followed by some Reese's Peanut Butter Bars. Perfect!

Wait, what am I thinking. I will broil chicken with a toss salad and fresh fruit for dessert.

THE INFAMOUS LAPTOP

We have never been high tech travelers. We have our cell phones but don’t text or have apts. I traveled with a Kindle until it stopped working. It was very frustrating because I didn’t have anything to read on my trip.

Recently Kent has been traveling to Los Angeles for a court case. He needed to work with the client, pre court hearings, interviewing witnesses and finally this week was to be the trial. Kent decided that it was time to break out a laptop computer.

 At the first stop of his trip, St. Louis airport security, his laptop was stolen. Security was right there as well as many cameras. Within 20 minutes his laptop was recovered and he was at the gate ready to board the plane to Los Angeles. All was well and he considered himself very fortunate.

Once in Los Angeles the judge informed him that the court was a little behind schedule and their case wouldn’t start until next Tuesday. Kent came home to enjoy family time and get some work done. Kent’s law partner decided to remain in Los Angeles. He would take a few days off and enjoy the cool temperatures (70 degrees) and the beach. Kent left the infamous laptop in his law partner’s room thus avoiding the possibility of losing the laptop while going through airport security.

The next day Kent got the call informing him that the laptop had been stolen by a member of the hotel staff and the hotel was looking into it.  All other laptops in the room were untouched. It appears that we are destined to travel low tech.

FRUIT KABOBS

Source: get-thinspiration.tumblr.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

Making fruit kabobs was relatively simple. Using 10 inch skewers I started with the 2 blueberries, 2 purple grapes, a strawberry with the green removed, cantaloupe (instead of orange segments) pineapple and 2 green grapes. I found having the kabobs were not only fun but helped everyone want to start with something healthy. I know, I know, pizza is a healthy food.

One day I might have a rainbow party and use the fruit with the orange segments I made at Christmas. It is amazing how quickly I forgot how much work they were.

JELLO SAILS

Source: karaspartyideas.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

I love family time. Having the children and grandchildren (grandpuppy) over is the best of times. Last night was one of those times. We were celebrating Kent’s and Becca’s birthdays. When the grandchildren were young we would go to a favorite restaurant to eat but now that the children are older it isn’t all that fun at a restaurant i.e. Red Robin.

For dinner I fixed inside outside pizza, jello sails, toss salad and fruit kabobs. Dinner was colorful, delicious, fun but most of all the entertainment was out of this world. At the end, puppies and kids cried when it was time to go home. Grandma was exhausted but happy. Today I will talk about the jello sails. They were easy to fix and fun to eat. The only criticism I received was the orange wasn’t a good flavor with the blue berry jello. My thought was eat the orange when you take the sail off and then eat the jello.

TERIYAKI CHICKENT AND RICE

Source: whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

This looked like a quick dinner and that's what I needed tonight. It was a quick but not flavorful meal and to be honest, adding ketchup to soy sauce is just wrong. If I made it again I would leave out the ketchup and add other flavors such as pineapple or ginger. I also would use the sauce to marinate the chicken (using raw instead of precooked chicken) before adding to the uncooked rice. Well, so much for the quick dinner.

BEEF FAJITAS

Source: bhg.com via Sara on Pinterest

I haven’t had much to blog. I live a rather boring life when Kent is out of town. Now he is back in town and life is good.

We had a Cinco de Mayo party to attend Saturday and I needed to bring a main dish. I chose Beef Fajitas. Since I was going to make enough for a crowd I decided to use the recipe that used the crockpot. I liked the flavors of the fajitas as did people who commented on them. I think the only think I didn’t like was just a personal preference. I just don’t like meet cooked in a crockpot. It doesn’t have the same flavor as grilled, fried or baked meat. I knew that I didn’t have time to fry the meat so this was my only choice. I think I might make these again but I will use olive oil in a sauce pan instead or a crockpot.

Balsamic Honey Glazed Carrots

Source: sowonderfulsomarvelous.com via Sharla on Pinterest

I tried this yesterday while also trying out a fresh beet recipe. I left out the honey. I remember hearing a lady talk about carrots and putting honey on them. She said that carrots were so naturally sweet it was just wrong to kill the taste with honey. Since we all liked carrots this reasoning made me skip the honey. I will note that I did add a small amount of very sweet orange that added flavor but didn't mask the carrot taste. I also used baby carrots that I removed the greens from but left a small amount of stem. The result was a wonderfully flavored carrot dish.

SOUR DOUGH BREAD

Source: wholeintentions.com via Mandy on Pinterest

Sour dough is an old fashioned idea updated. This past year I had a friend bring a start for friendship bread which is a sweet form of sour dough bread. I also have recipes for sour dough biscuits, cookies and chocolate cake. I used to keep  a sour dough start in my refrigerator but found I didn't make bread often enough to keep it fresh. I also discovered that we prefer bread without a strong sour dough taste. As long as I kept the start refreshed then the bread had the right taste for us. The longer it sits the more it tastes like San Fransicso sour dough bread.

Seeing this on pinterest made me decide that I might try it again. My husband loves a real crusty bread so I kept it moist during baking. You can open the oven every so often and spritz with water or you can do it the lazy way and just put a pan of water in the oven and keep it moist that way. I also placed a most towel over the loaf as it was rising.

PANERA (ST. LOUIS BREAD COMPANY) MAC N' CHEESE

Source: smells-like-home.com via Jena on Pinterest

This weekend I made St. Louis Bread Company’s mac n cheese recipe. I am not one to make mac n cheese but it was to be served to die hard mac n cheese lovers. I think the only change I made was I didn’t add a dash of hot sauce. It wasn’t my favorite side dish and those who love mac n cheese gave it a “its good” rating. I get better reviews when I serve Kraft Mac n Cheese which is cheaper, faster and easier to make.  

PINEAPPLE CHICKEN

Source: undressedskeleton.tumblr.com via Meridith on Pinterest

This dish was one of my favorite pinterest ideas so far. The soy sauce gave an Asian taste but it was truly an American dish which I enjoyed. The taste was mild but had a lot of flavor for only having 3 ingredients. I changed it a little, however. I didn’t cut my chicken breast into pieces and while the chicken was broiling I reduced the marinate by simmering over a low heat for about 10 minutes. I then added the pineapple and poured over the chicken. Served with a simple fruit salad this was a wonderfully light but filling dinner.

MOTIVATION

Source: get-thinspiration.tumblr.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

Getting motivated to exercise isn’t always easy. For years I did enjoy walking but after some health problems I couldn’t get back with a consistent exercise program. I have a jar in by my TV and a stack of $1 bills in a basket. When I am successful using an elliptical I place the $1 in the jar. As my money grows so does my motivation.

THE PERFECT CHICKEN BREAST

Source: its-fitting.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

The perfect asparagus needs a perfect chicken to accompany it. I tried this recipe and decided it was delicious. I had a bone in chicken breast so it took longer to cook then the recipe called for. I used lemon zest which was not called for but added so much flavor.

PARMESAN -ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Last night I made this delicious vegetable. I love asparagus but it can contribute to a rather boring dinner. I never know how to dress it up but this was the best. I decided to use the lemon zest on the chicken I also prepared and add the juice from ½ lemon to the asparagus. I really enjoyed the strong lemon taste. I don’t have parmesan that is ready to be shredded so mine came out of a plastic jar, pre-grated. I don’t have negatives to say about this dish. It’s a keeper!

Source: budgetsavvydiva.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

CHOCOLATE BOWLS

Source: the-tum-tum-tree.blogspot.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Another idea from Pinterest: We were having friends over for a fun evening and I decided to try the chocolate bowls for dessert. Since our friends have children I decided to make the bowls small and put a scoop of ice cream in the bowl. I picked up very small balloons at the store and used chocolate chips for the chocolate. I’ll have to admit the children were not too impressed with our adult conversation until the dessert came out. The bowls were a hit with everyone. We served the chocolate dessert bowls in real bowls since chocolate melts in warm hands.

OBSERVATIONS

• I think using a better chocolate would make for a better bowl. (Is that too obvious?)
• The balloons breaks if the chocolate is too hot.
• This presents an additional problem since cool chocolate creates a thicker bowl.
• There is a waste of chocolate unless you want to finish off the extra chocolate with a candy mold.

CROCK POT CHICKEN

Source: crockpot365.blogspot.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

I love using my crock pot. It is convenient and the slow cooking brings out flavors in most foods. I decided to try this chicken in the crock pot. I followed the instructions and the result was poached chicken. Which is great if you need to add it to something as a filler but not for a main dish. I won't try this again. A real disappointment especially when it smelled so good all day.

NUTELLA COOKIES

Source: tastykitchen.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Since Nutella is one of my husband’s favorite spreads I decided to try these cookies for him. They were good but I think if I added chocolate chips he would have loved them better. They were easy to make and froze well. I usually use a small scoop and drop onto a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, I placed in a Ziploc bag and put back into the freezer. I take a few out at a time to cook. The only complaint I have about these cookies is the same complaint I have for every cookie. They shouldn’t be a house if you are watching your carbs or calories.

SMASH BOOK

Source: archiversannex.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

My daughter and daughter-in-law are wonderful cooks and involve their children in this so coming to grandmas and baking something isn’t special. So I needed to find something that was exclusively grandmas. I have always loved art so doing art projects with my grandchildren seemed like the natural choice. As my oldest granddaughter has progressed in her projects she is becoming quite creative. For her 8^th birthday I gave her a smash book. This is a cross between a journal and a scrapbook. It is perfect for a young person because there are no rules. You do what you want. Instead of adding all the expensive add-ons I have used pinterest to print off free journaling cards, pictures of the Titanic (her newest obsession) and envelopes.

Source: sweetlyscrappedart.blogspot.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

Source: minieco.co.uk via Lorrie on Pinterest

Pros: this is loved by my granddaughter and used more often than any other do-it-yourself craft project she has gotten. I’m not into prepackaged craft projects so this works for me. I believe that it sparks creativity which needs to be developed. Smash books are great for those who don’t have time to scrapbook.

Source: popartuk.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Cons: It can become very expensive if you use all the special tags, tapes, cards and envelopes that come with this line of products.

TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

I have never been a fan of tomato soup. I think the main reason was a childhood taste memory. We were a poor family and as such food was at times not available. In order to save money my mother had her go to meals. One was Spanish Rice. It consisted of condensed tomato soup, rice, green peppers and water. All were cook in a sauce pan and served as our entire dinner. After a week of eating this for every meal I vowed to never eat anything with these three ingredients again.  

Over the years I have been able to acquire a taste for these ingredients but not together and not often. When I saw the pinterest recipe for Tomato Basil soup I decided I would like to give it a try. The recipe was easy to follow and liked by both me and Kent. I added the shellfish and made one other modification to the recipe. Instead of using ½ and ½ I used fat free ½ and ½ . I found it at our local grocery store. The fat free version added the richness of cream without the fat and calories.

Salad In A Jar

Source: food.chatelaine.com via Sally on Pinterest

Once again I have used pinterest idea. This salad in a jar is has been quite successful for me. I take a jar and place the heaviest vegetables in first. Any combination works. The lettuce is last. When it's lunch time I get the out the jar from cold storage and pour on to a dinner sized plate.

Source: salad-in-a-jar.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Review: I enjoy peas that have just been defrosted in my salad. I made the mistake of thinking I could place the frozen peas in the jar and they would stay crunchy. What happened was they froze my cucumbers and then defrosted. Not such a good idea. Next time I will defrost the peas first. I also don't think any vegetable that is messy is good. (Grape tomatoes rather than cut tomatoes.) I also don't add my salad dressing to the bottom of the jar. I like a good crisp salad and this was perfect. I made 3 jars and they stayed fresh for the 4 days it took me to eat my salad lunches.

DELICIOUS RECIEPE

This dish was so colorful and beautiful I decided I would try to make. I didn’t have the julienne peeler but I did have a mandolin so I used that. Sometimes I think always buying the newest gadget is crazy. Why not use what you have?

Source: kitchenconfidante.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

Review: the recipe was so easy to make. I love that it turned out just as colorful on my plate as it did on Pineterest. The site didn't have good directions but I could figure out how to heat up the ingredients. My opinion is that the vinegar was a bit overpowering. I will use less next time. I also skipped the sugar and added 2 teaspoons honey. This is a dish I will make again.

I HATE JELL-O

Source: ca.mg206.mail.yahoo.com via Lorrie on Pinterest

Jell-O is something that you either love or hate. Being raised in the 50’s and 60’s it was a staple in most people’s diet. You could make it into a lovely dessert or a sweet, savory or sweet and savory salad. People mixed fruit, cool whip, and soda pop in it. When you wanted a healthier version you might grate carrots, slice olives, add ketchup, mayonnaise, cottage cheese or any other distasteful thing you can think of and call it a salad. ( I have recipes to prove this!)

My children didn’t have Jell-O served in our home. The simple reason was I hate Jell-O. Unfortunately Jell-O has made a comeback in the American diet. Because of Pinetrest I actually decided to try to make it for my family. We were having a family dinner and I decided to make it a rainbow dinner, hence the need for Jell-O. I made Jell-O in orange halves.

Review: the Jell-O was a hit with everyone. The plate was colorful and fun for the grandchildren to pick up and eat. All the adults had fun with the Jell-O wedges also.

The negative side is the time it took to make and the terrible mess. Cleaning out the orange took a couple of hours. My refrigerator was tied up for most of the day since the oranges needed to sit undisturbed.

Cost was also a factor. It required 12 beautiful oranges and 6 boxes of Jell-O. After you cut the oranges in half and cleaned out the inside there wasn’t a lot you can do with the best part of the orange. The last negative was my granddaughter, who was just learning to feed herself loved the Jell-O but unfortunately took a bite of the rind and she will probably be a Jell-O hater like her grandmother from now on.

WHERE TO GO

I have been struggling with this blog. I have felt so uninspired by what I have been blogging. So until I can think of anything better I will be blogging what I make from pinterest.com. What is Pinterst you ask? It is a creative Idea sight. So I will be blogging what I find interesting to do or make. For example yesterday I made crock pot baked potatoes. The instructions are: clean and foil wrap your potatoes. Place in a crock pot and bake for 8 hours on low. Since I got a late start I only baked them 4 hours but on high.

Source: skiptomylou.org via Lorrie on Pinterest

My review on the idea: the potatoes were attractive to look at. They were tender and moist. Since we are having unseasonably warm weather it was nice to have baked potatoes without heating up the house. I served the potatoes with butter, broccoli crowns, Steak n Shake chili, cheese, sour cream or cottage cheese. Everyone chose their desired toppings. Also, we had a large beautiful green salad.

REACTIONARY

Yesterday, Kent came across a flock of wild turkeys. Being a good photographer he quickly got out his camera and began shooting. After his last encounter with wild turkeys he decided this called for a long lens at a great distance. Last year at this time Kent was driving away from our home when he was accosted by three wild turkeys. They pecked at his tires, door, and windows.

I have thought how the turkeys are a lot like human beings. When someone is in our personal space we have a tendency to react. I think of it as being a reactionary. Learning to not react to negative situations is a lot like art. The more I draw the better it looks and more confident I am in my ability to draw.  

A HAPPY STATE

I read about a study showing those who live together are happier than those who are married. I have been pondering this and have a lot of thoughts. Living with someone one you love can be a happy state. Fearing I might talk someone into skipping the ceremony I will not go into all the reasons but I can see how anyone could make an argument for living with someone without getting married. There is a fact that was left out of this study, however. If you live with someone you are at high risk for breaking up. Even more important if you marry someone you have lived with first your chances of divorcing that individual is 75% or higher. Another way of saying it, this is a temporary state.  So if your goal is just be in a state of happiness then go for living with the person you fall in love with, moving on when you are no longer happy.

Since I have been married for 43 years I would like to say something about that state that is not quite as happy and I’m not talking about one of the lower 48. What I have discovered about life is you are not always happy. I remember when Kent was working 16 hour days, 6 days a week and we had 3 young children who it seemed were sick most of the time. I will go on record in saying I was not happy. I loved my children and husband. I believed in what I was doing. I felt that the future would get better and it did. Kent and I believed in being civil and kind to each other which got us through the tough times. With the strong foundation we started with we never questioned the importance of being married. Now we can look back and smile at those times, realizing that our love was always there. Happiness just wasn’t the most important thing.

What I know, is happiness is nothing compared to the joy that comes to a loving couple who are committed to each other and in it for the long haul. Something those who live together will never know.

P.S. I am happy!

COMPARISON

I heard someone say, “There’s no pride in being what you are but in what you do with it.” I have thought a lot about this statement. As a school child I was intimidated by those who were so very intelligent. As a mother I was in awe of those who were knowledgeable in every situation. At church there were brilliant scriptorians. And so the list goes. I saw only my limits.

Today, as a 60+ year-old I realize that I have great intelligence but I have dyslexia. I haven’t allowed my handicap keep me from graduating with a master’s degree and having a successful counseling practice. By taking classes and workshops I became the mother I wanted to be. I have read the scriptures daily and studied inspired writings for decades. I now know more than I ever thought possible.

There are things I wish I had learned or tried doing but for the most part I am happy with what I have accomplished with my life. If I have learned anything about living it is by small but consistent effort that great changes come. I also believe what I read by Hugh B. Brown, “You can do anything you want. You just can’t do everything you want.”

FAMILY

My niece's husband has made/directed a movie that will be out in February (the 24th I think is the exact date). We have seen the behind the scene pictures of him at work now there is a trailer. I'm not really into the geek experience but since I'm family I will go. I hope you enjoy the trailer. http://youtu.be/_V7BZy-dCyc?hd=1

JANUARY GOALS

As January gets into full swing many people are trying to live up to the goals set weeks earlier. I don’t set goals in January. I feel January goals are in reality a list of chastisements that guilt us into correcting our perceived bad behavior. Punishment for not being perfect might be a better description for January goals.

I think January is a time for fighting the winter blues. Maybe reading the books received for Christmas or cleaning out the sweets treats given by friends. I know I have a box of gourmet chocolates I’m willing to give anyone who hasn’t gone into a diabetic coma.

Do I believe in improving? Yes, but not by negative means. I need encouragement for me to make changes. I like to challenge and reward myself for what I accomplish. I want to measure success in small increments not in an end result. You see, I will always be a work in progress.

ANOTHER CHANGE

As I endeavor to find myself in my blog I am comforted by the words “to live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong” (JC Pearce).  I have found that the need to post my creative endeavors only make me less creative. When my cards don’t reflect the colors I’ve created or when I feel the pressure to post something I get discouraged.  So, I have decided it is time to change the blog again. I think that it will be a work in progress for some time but none the less I will begin posting again.

So in an effort to being my blog again I would like to remind any readers that are still out there that January 7 is National Old Rock Day. So while I try to decide what to post next I will just post an old rock photographed by Kent.