Recently, I heard a preacher, Colin Smith, re-tell a story that he had heard many years ago.
There was a Pastor who had a deacon in his congregation who had become rather difficult to be around and became a burden to the leadership of the church.
A short time later, the deacon passed away. An autopsy was performed and a large tumor was found in his brain. Because of the size of the tumor, the coroner was able to determine when it had started to grow and it was around the same time that the man’s personality had changed. The Pastor said “If I had known one fact more, it would have changed my whole relationship with this man.”
A lot of times, we don’t know what is happening in people’s lives. Health changes, divorce, job loss, financial problems — the list goes on and on as to what can affect people’s lives and cause them to behave differently than what we are used to.
Colin Smith continued saying how we must be gentle with people. And it’s true. It is easier to lash out than to refrain from saying or doing something.
May the Holy Spirit help me to live exuding gentleness.
“Spirituality must never be used as a kind of cloak or cover for shoddy attitudes towards other people.” Colin SmithÂ
Growing up, I was always told not to play with knives. But being grown and spending more time in the kitchen means that I have to work with knives when cooking.
These Ginsu knives were given to me as a gift and I have found them to be easy to handle and sharp.
Ginsu Knives
I hadn’t realized how dull the knife I was using was until I started using these. Now slicing and chopping are much easier.
I learned a new way to make garlic bread although I didn’t follow all of the instructions from the recipe but adjusted it to the ingredients I had at home.
It was quick, easy, delicious and the recipe can be adjusted to your own palette preferences without much effort.
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 loaf of French bread, sliced
Directions
Cream the butter
Add the gorgonzola and the garlic to the butter and mix together
Spread this mixture on top of the slices of bread
Broil until golden brown
I adjusted the original recipe because it had too much cheese and I didn’t have the parsley that it called for. It still came out great!
It had been many years since I went to an auto show but this year my husband and I decided to head into Minneapolis and see what the show had to offer. The ooh-ing and ahh-ing on my part had more to do with the colors of the cars than the cars themselves. Whereas (it seemed) the men were looking at engines, tires and everything mechanical, I looked at whether the cars were comfortable, if I could reach all the parts inside and if I felt claustrophobic while sitting in them. The colors were an added bonus even if I wouldn’t buy anything outlandishly colorful.
Here are some of the ones I saw (click on each one to see them in a larger size):
Acura TSX
My favorite was the Acura TSX as it reminded me of the Volvo that we bought back in 1984 that died around 20 years later (which was quite odd for a Volvo as they normally last for ages).
We do need a second car in our house although we have been able to manage with one car for the last year and a half. We’ll see where life leads us.
Since my fall (literally) in the ocean back in January, I have been looking to replace the camera that fell in the water with me and it has not been an easy task although I basically had 3 requirements for purchasing a new one:
A point-and-shoot
Better zoom than my old one which was 10x (for taking pictures of wildlife)
Quick picture taking
I went to Best Buy and tried out some of the cameras they had which were okay but with so many options I still found it a little overwhelming as some cameras have a longer battery life, some have better picture quality and on and on so I didn’t purchase one at that time.
Later, on a recent trip to Costco, I saw a camera that was a newer model of the one that was recently damaged. It’s a Panasonic ZS10 Lumix and has 16x optical zoom and 14.1 megapixels. When I tried it at the store, it had the 3 things that I was looking for.
Panasonic ZS10 Lumix
Appearance-wise, the camera doesn’t look very pretty as it’s basic black. If “pretty” were important to me then this camera would not be on the top of my list but I’m more practical than that. Â The camera is lightweight and sits comfortably in my hand, pocket or purse.
So I purchased it, started taking pictures almost immediately and was pleasantly surprised that they were coming out very clear. The next test was in taking pictures of food since I like trying new recipes and taking pictures of my work. The camera has a Food setting specifically for this which does not use a flash and actually has a note that recommends you NOT use a flash when taking pictures of food. A food blogger that I follow had once said that she didn’t use a flash when taking pictures of food so I didn’t find that too unusual. However, I assumed that if the lighting was too dark that the flash would automatically be enabled but that was not the case.
When I made my quinoa salad, I decided to use the Food setting and follow the directions — no messing with a flash, just shoot the picture with the setting as stated.
Boy, was I disappointed as my pictures started coming out dark and fuzzy. Here’s an example of what I mean:
Cooked Quinoa - using the Food setting as recommended with no flash
Here’s another picture using the same Food setting:
Soaking Quinoa - using the Food setting as recommended with no flash
That was NOT going to work for me so I decided to take the same picture on the Auto setting which automatically adjusts for the lighting and, in this case, used the flash:
Quinoa Soaking - Auto setting that used the flash
Quite a difference, eh? I was getting more frustrated as I assumed the Food setting should know what it’s doing. (Okay, I know that I’m assuming a camera can think but really, all I’m assuming is that whoever set up the camera should know that the Food setting should adjust for whether a flash is needed).
As the days rolled by I kept trying the Food setting and every time I set it as instructed, I kept getting fuzzy pictures. Finally I decided to try something different (yes, I decided to think for myself) by turning on the flash when using the Food setting and guess what? It worked! The pictures came out pretty similar to if I was using the Auto setting.
I was on the verge of returning the camera to the store as I have a 90 day trial period but instead I’m thinking I’ll keep it. I did experience a little stress in figuring out how to turn the flash on while using the “Food” setting but things have settled down now.
I wonder why little things seem to stress me more often than not these days. Age? I hope not or I’m going to be a really cranky old lady.
The hyacinths are peeking out of the ground already since the weather has been in the 60’s and 70’s the past couple of weeks. We are still waiting for the daffodils and the tulips to come up but the weather has turned a wee bit colder at night — in the lower 40’s.
These bulbs are supposed to be deer resistant so I am hoping that the deer don’t decide to make their abode in my front yard to eat my autumn-planted bulbs.
An unfortunate event has happened though — I spotted the first mosquito of the season. Grrrrrr …  And, according to an article in the New York Times the tick season has already started due to the warm winter we’ve had.
My favorite seasons in Minnesota are still autumn and winter as there are no bugs.
I guess I’d better prepare myself mentally for working alongside the bugs that will be making an appearance shortly.
A recent visit to see our grandchildren left me in awe of the ways they come up with to entertain themselves. I had to take a video. I just had to! It makes me laugh every time I watch it.
I hope this makes you as happy and giddy as it made me.
The removal of the wallpaper project is going quite well so far although I’m only working 2-3 hours at a time so as not to upset my injured hand and only 2-3 days a week.
It is a slow process though. One thing I had not anticipated was paper cuts. I noticed small cuts on my hand that were bleeding. I’m almost done — well, once I remove the mirrors and the toilet — but I hadn’t even considered wearing plastic gloves. Oh well …
I think removing the toilet is not going to be a big deal. I say this with a bit of humor as I’ve never removed a toilet before in my life. But, there is a first time for everything, isn’t there? Well, there doesn’t have to be I guess but there will be for me. For some unknown reason, I would like to say that I’ve removed a toilet. Â (laughing)Â What a goal to have in life! hehe
I’ll have to do some research on it and see how it goes. I think it’s a “next week” project though. Hmmm … maybe I should just replace the toilet. It is 19 years old after all. My fear is that I may have parts that I don’t know what to do with a new toilet. I can pretty much document what I do to remove it but putting a new one back in? I’ll have to see how much courage I can summon next week.
The large mirrors also have to come out as there is wallpaper behind them and we’re planning on replacing the countertop also which means removing the tiled backsplash. The real trick will be how to take them down and not break them in case we want to reuse them.
Large Bathroom Mirror
I’ve been reading on the internet that a lot of contractors glue these large mirrors on but in our case they have large bolts behind the mirrors so I’m hoping it will be easier to remove. Looks like I can slide them off so if I put tape on the mirror so it doesn’t shatter perhaps that will work.
Thinking out loud here …
These mirrors might be a bit much for me as I’m only 5’1″ tall and I don’t want to be splattered with glass. The “experts” say I’d have to wear gloves, long sleeves and safety goggles. I’ll tackle this after the toilet, I believe. One step at a time.
All the thoughts in my head haven’t made it to my blog yet but are sitting as drafts for the most part — incomplete. It’s not procrastination although I do work better under pressure and a deadline. I haven’t wanted to spend too much time using my left injured hand typing although it is doing much better even if occasionally I get twinges of pain.
This week I started a new bathroom project — removing wallpaper. My concern with this project was in using the already-made solutions that reek of chemicals that I’m sure would cause me to get sick. Fortunately, I was able to find something that is much better and works.
In searching the “world wide web” I came across the site called DIY (do it yourself) Network. I’ve been using their suggestion to use one part Downy to one part hot water in a spray bottle to remove the wallpaper.
So far — it has worked but I did have a few kinks. First, I’m only using one hand to work and that makes for very slow going. Second, the wallpaper has been on this wall since they built the house which means that it is being stubborn (can wallpaper have feelings?) about coming off.
I’m not sure what kind of wallpaper they had 19 years ago. I had always imagined all wallpaper was the same. But I don’t believe so. The wallpaper has a thin decorative layer on the top and underneath it is another thin cardboardy layer. In order for my homemade solution to work, I have to peel the thin decorative layer first, spray the cardboard with my solution then use the putty knife to scrape it off. (Thought: I wonder if they used the cardboard piece to protect the sheetrock???)
Wallpaper
Both pieces (the thin decorative layer and the thin cardboard layer) are sticky.
Underlaying (cardboard) piece under Wallpaper
Once I remove both layers, I put a little bit of dish detergent in a bucket, add some really hot water and take a cloth to wipe down the wall to remove any residue glue that may still be there. Then I use plain hot water to wipe the wall down again. Lastly, I wipe the wall down with a dry towel.
One step I did not follow (well I tried but it didn’t work) was to “score” the wallpaper. Apparently there is an instrument called a wallpaper scorer that creates small holes in the paper to allow the solution to penetrate to the glue. Instead, I used my putty knife to make small indentations. This was not successful as the “small” indentations made their way to the sheetrock and I found that with the type of wallpaper I have it wouldn’t have worked.
Completed removal of wallpaper
Anyway — the steps are as follows (not including the scoring part):
Prepare the room by putting drop cloths on the base of the walls to be stripped. Remove all switch plates and outlet covers from the walls then cut the power to the room (you don’t want to get electrocuted while doing this work).
Mix your solution — one part Downy and one part hot water. I used fragrance free Downy as my bathroom doesn’t have a window that I can open to air out the room while working and besides, who wants to inhale a bunch of fragrance that has made me sick in the past. Oh — make sure you keep the water hot. I microwaved the solution every 20-25 minutes to make sure it stayed hot as it works much better and made the scraping go faster.
Soak the walls with the solution. I used a spray bottle for this. Let the solution soak for a few minutes and make sure the wall is saturated.
Grab the wallpaper on the bottom and pull it off. This didn’t work for me as mine was a 2 step process — remove the outer decorative layer, soak the thin layer underneath and then scrape upward with the putty knife. But hey, it might work for someone else.
Once the wallpaper is off, mix a tablespoon of dish detergent with very hot water. Use a sponge to wipe down the walls, scrubbing carefully to remove all traces of wallpaper adhesive.
Rinse down the walls with a towel and clean water then dry the wall with a towel.
This project will probably take me a couple of weeks. One-handed work takes time …
Oh yeah — I did encounter one other problem. After removing the wallpaper above the shower stall area, I looked around to determine what the rest of my project was going to look like. Seeing as they put the wallpaper in when the house was built, I noticed that the wallpaper is behind everything. Meaning? I have to remove the toilet and the large mirrors in order to remove all the wallpaper.
My little project just became a medium sized project. Now I have to decide whether to remove the toilet myself (can I do that one-handed? hmmm …) or if I should ask for help.
This is another wonderful dish from the 1000 Vegan Recipes cookbook that I’m hoping to try many recipes from. It is very tasteful but you do have to like olives — which I do! Even as leftovers the next day, it warmed up very well. The olives gave my palette a burst of flavor in my mouth.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon (or less if you don’t like it too spicy) crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper (to your taste)
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/4 cup green olives, pitted and halved
3 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons minced fresh or dried parsley
1 pound linguine
Directions
 In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat
Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes then cook through for about 30 seconds
Stir in both cans of the tomatoes, the oregano and basil
Add salt and pepper (to your taste)
Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally
Add the olives, capers and parsley then cover and keep warm
In a large pot, boil salted water and cook the linguine according to package instructions
Once the linguine is cooked, put it in a bowl, pour the sauce over it and toss it gently to combine it all
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