Simply Norma – Page 140

Minnesota Living

As we continue our hunt for a house, we find many interesting things in the homes we view.

There are, or used to be, a lot of Scandinavians who lived here. Many of the older homes have saunas. This one had a sauna and right outside it this huge and very deep tub for soaking.

Many homes have fireplaces. We couldn’t figure out if this was wood or gas burning. Some of them are very complicated.

My favorite “find” of the day. A red drop-in shower stall. It really took me back when I entered the master bedroom bathroom of the house and saw this..

Heavenly Things

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2

The world screams for our attention. I don’t know how many more reality shows they can come up with or how many more new gadgets they can make to help us live “simpler” lives.

But, I do know that my attention has to be focused on things “above.”

I had a dream a couple nights ago that I was being attacked by the “monster” that was on the TV show called Lost. I haven’t seen this show since it’s finale back in May/June of last year.

In the show, there was this smokey monster that would occasionally pop up and suck people up and kill them.

In my dream, a few of us were inside and we saw the monster coming so we put towels under the doors so he couldn’t come in. After we thought he was gone, we removed the towels and went outside. I then noticed that the “monster” was still around. He came up to me and passed my face. I thought I was safe. Then he turned around and sucked me right up.

Now, had I not watched this show, I would never have had this dream that terrified me.

Had I set my mind on things “above” — things that are beautiful and pure — this dream would never have happened.

“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

The world screams for our attention. I don’t know how many more reality shows they can come up with or how many more new gadgets they can make to help us live “simpler” lives.

Seattle Seahawks – Lynch Runs for the Win

Amazing! This run by the Seattle Seahawks player Lynch is absolutely fantastic!

This shows what real teamwork can do — in business, marriage, personal relationships and as a church.

1 Corinthians 12:2 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. (NIV translation)

Southview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Minneapolis

I attended the Southview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Minneapolis for the first time today.

Southview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Minneapolis, MN

We entered through the front door. Since there were no greeters, we assume most people came in through the side door.

Front Door, Southview SDA Church, Minneapolis, MN

Side door, Southview SDA Church, Minneapois, MN

Sidewalk to side door of Southview SDA

The Sabbath School had already started when we arrived at 10:45 a.m. The church service started at 11:30 a.m. and is traditional in nature. The congregation is very diverse. There were over 35 children present.

The wood in the church was dark. This is a chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

Stained glass window at Southview SDA Church in Minneapolis, MN

The stained glass windows were pretty.

This church reminded me of the one I left in Seattle although the one in Seattle had streams of light that came in and the wood was lighter.

The sermon was on remembering the poor. The leaders, including the Pastor, were energetic and kept my attention — a good thing.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch

Thought I’d do a little baking and cookies from scratch always seem to taste better.

This is the original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie recipe.

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. Oops, I forgot the salt. And, I only made half the recipe as otherwise I’d eat all the cookies.

1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (I used unsalted)

3/8 cup granulated sugar

3/8 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions — Preheat oven to 375F

Combine flour, baking soda & salt in a small bowl. (I like to use a whisk to take any lumps out).

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer until creamy. I used the whisk as we didn’t have a mixer. Add egg and beat well.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in morsels (the recipe calls for nuts but I didn’t add them).

After mixing, it will look like this.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for approximately 2 minutes.

The final product will look like this.

Enjoy!

Click here for the original recipe

Ray J’s American Grill in Woodbury

We went to Ray J’s American Grill last evening for dinner.

It feels and is a sports bar although the bar section is on one side and the restaurant is on the other. It was pretty busy when we arrived.

We ordered onion rings which were delicious. Unfortunately, they got gobbled up before I was able to take a picture.

The three entrees we ordered are below.

Ray J’s Angus Beef Hamburger

Angus beef is used for this hamburger. Normally that’s a good cut but this was almost tasteless. One pickle on the side was all you got along with the french fries. No lettuce, no tomatoe, no onions. It did state on the menu that there was nothing but a pickle with french fries but we didn’t read the menu that closely and just assumed the hamburger would be like all the others with the normal “sides.”

Chicken Marsala

I heard no complaints about the Chicken Marsala which came with garlic mashed potatoes.

Chicken Dumpling Soup

The chicken in the dumpling soup was a little dry but otherwise the soup okay.

Chicken Pot Pie

The chicken in the pot pie was also dry and they used frozen vegetables instead of fresh. Not a good rating for this entree — maybe a two on a scale of five.

We’ve been here one other time and the food was good so maybe another trip would be fine.

Ray J’s is located at 9854 Norma Lane in Woodbury, MN.

Puerto Rico

I’m liking the snow in Minnesota. I received so many warm clothes for Christmas that has made it easy for my body to acclimate to the cold.

The real estate agent we’re working with, Bridget Crepeau from Edina Realty, told us that people in Minnesota tend to get away in January and February as those are the coldest months.

A trip to Puerto Rico right about now sounds pretty good, especially with the arctic cold that we’re in for this weekend.

WaterPik Sonic Toothbrush

Before moving to Seattle the SonicCare toothbrush, that friends had given me, stopped working. I thought that a regular toothbrush would suffice so I didn’t bother to replace it.

Unfortunately, my teeth weren’t feeling very clean so I decided to buy myself a new electric toothbrush. I ordered it through a company called WaterPik Online store.

Waterpik Sonic Professional Toothbrush

The toothbrush takes about 16 hours to charge before it can be used. It comes with three brush heads and two speeds, the second is a harder speed to remove more plaque.

Waterpik Sonic Professional Toothbrush

This is what the inside of the box looks like when you open it.

Waterpik Sonic Professional Toothbrush

This is what it looks like all put together.

Makes for great clean teeth!

Waterpik Sensonic Professional Toothbrush

The Sky Still Falling in Arkansas

Reuters reports that the death of thousands of Arkansas birds is probably due to New Year’s Eve fireworks.

I don’t buy it. I’m not into conspiracy theories but I think common sense would tell us that thousands of birds falling from the sky dead in more than one state along with even more thousands of fish dying is not normal.

This article states that more tests are being requested.

I hope so.

And I was not particularly pleased with David Letterman last night making fun of the problem. Perhaps if they were falling on his head he would be a little more sensitive.

Auld Lang Syne by Sissell with nature pictures

Just received this video from a friend. It’s a beautiful rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

The nature pictures that accompany it are awesome!

Thanks Kath!