I Love The Store

Back so soon? Well, right after I posted last I went to The Store (sans camera, unfortunately) -- this great little neighborhood fine foods market. Jordan will always emphasize The when referring to it, since the name is so easily mistaken for stores in general. Jemma asked if we could just call it Groundhog so she doesn't get confused when we say we're going to The Store.

It's not really the type of place where you would do your full-fledged weekly grocery shopping. But it is a great place if you just need to pick up an onion and some frozen corn (for the Corn & Kielbasa Chowder I'm making for dinner tonight), or some excellent fresh salsa, imported cheese, a good crusty baguette, lemon bars, Orangina, a unique birthday or thank you card, or some super cute napkins.

Today while I was in there they were playing tunes by The Brian Setzer Orchestra and Norah Jones. Makes for good shopping. It's always a pleasure to go to The Store. I will update this post sometime in the near future with photos. And if you're ever in this neck of the woods -- let's go!

nothing out of the ordinary

another week gone by since posting and this time there's no good reason -- no injuries, no transcontinental business trips. what have we been up to? nothing out of the ordinary. just the usual stuff:

working, cooking, shopping, school, basketball practice, basketball games, nba playoffs, kid bathing, dog washing, hair cutting, lawn mowing, room cleaning, dentist (why does it always leave me with a headache?), presidency meeting, board meeting, work meeting, church meetings....

i haven't been taking photos. even the kids haven't been taking photos. am i losing my ability to find amusement and interest in the ordinary? we'll come out of it and be back with something worth posting.

Thoughts on Weather and American Idol

I admit it. I'm hooked on American Idol this season (for the first time ever).

I only saw the second half of last night's show, but it was so impressive! They all did great. David Archuleta was really bold to do that rendition of "Think of Me" (I loved it) and David Cook could almost be the next Phantom on Broadway!


As for the weather: It's fickle, as expected at this time of year. Here are my observations:

Snow is not welcome in April.

Rain is beautiful.

Overcast days that just remain grey (or white) are unpleasant.

Windy days feel downright mean.

Sunny days are most welcome and energizing.

What's your take on Spring weather?

Which American Idol contestent do you like best?

Earth Day - SPT

The first Earth Day I remember being aware of was in the 80's when there was some increased media attention and a special aired on TV starring all sorts of people from popular programs at that time -- like The Cosby Show. That was also around the same time I started experimenting with natural homemade beauty products -- like an egg white mask, and an oatmeal hair conditioner -- but those experiments did not always end well (like the time I made a face scrub out of peaches and other things and discovered I was allergic to one - or possibly more than one - of the ingredients).

When I was in college the university had recycle bins for paper and cans all over campus. My conscious was heightened at that time and I found that I couldn't throw anything in the regular trash bin that could possibly be recycled. That habit has stayed with me, although I haven't always lived in areas where recycling was so easy.


I'm glad that our county has a curbside recycling program and I find that probably 80% of what we throw away is recyclable. All the paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and containers, aluminum and tin cans, go in the recycle bin. And most of what I toss in the trash is stuff that's biodegradable -- so I could probably use a lesson in composting and really reduce our waste. Our recycle bin is always more full than the regular one. I just recently read that most plastic bottles are recycled and back on the shelf in less than 90 days! Having said that, it's probably better to avoid disposable plastics as much as possible.


One other thing, in honor of going green, I've noticed that a lot of retailers have these compact flourescent light bulbs on sale this week. It's such an easy way to save energy. I replaced a bunch of bulbs a couple months ago and the only difference I noticed was on the reduced power bill.

What are you doing that's "green"?

52 Blessings Project, #16

It's always hard to say things like this for fear of sounding trite, but I'm feeling thankful that we live in a place where there's freedom and peace.

I just finished reading The Kite Runner. A good, but somber, book. Have you read this book? If you have, you'll know why this is on my mind.

Macro Photos

Our old digital camera's macro setting used to drive me crazy. It was easy to turn on, but not that noticable when it was on, until you reviewed the photos and saw how unfocused many of them were. So I sort of had a thing against macro. Our new camera is the opposite. It's very obvious when the macro setting is on and I find that many pictures work better when it's on. Anyway, I've been playing around with close-up shots and like the effect. I also found a challenge through another blog to take 30 macro photos in 30 days (was meant for the month of April). So....

A scene from Jemma's mid-afternoon picnic yesterday.

All of this, plus a water bottle, she pulled out of this:

Look at that green grass!

And shadows - meaning the sun was shining!

Winter Continues

We were so happy to have a really warm day on Monday. Spring...finally! Blossoms on the apricot tree! And then this morning they were dusted with snow.

52 Blessings Project, #15

beautiful combination of jetBlue and Venus in the background
Originally uploaded by helmutfaforke

I found this amazing photo on flickr. I couldn't resist acknowledging JetBlue.

NYC

Again, a little lull in blogging. This time it was for a more exciting reason: I was in New York!

It was a quick trip. Last time I was there was a quick trip too. Someday I hope to visit for a more extended length of time. There's just so much to do! I was officially traveling for business this time. We had a meeting on Thursday, but the way the flight schedule worked out we traveled on Wednesday and Friday and were able to squeeze in some fun (not that the meeting wasn't fun -- it actually was).

This was last Wednesday:

4am MDT - Woke up

4:30am - Got up

5am - Left for airport

6am - Departed for Long Beach

7am PDT - Arrived at Long Beach

8am - Departed for New York

4pm EDT - Arrived at JFK

5pm - Arrived at hotel

5:30pm - Departed for Manhattan

7pm - Dinner on Broadway

8pm - Phantom of the Opera (a very last minute plan - because we got free tickets)

10:30pm - Return to hotel

11:15pm - Arrive at hotel and call it a night

Jemma was not too happy at the prospect of me being gone for a few days, but she finally consoled herself by requesting that I take pictures of everything. It was a good request. I might not have taken as many photos otherwise. The collage above is busy, but that's exactly how the trip was. Most of these photos are from Thursday: WTC site, Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, The Sphere from the WTC, Statue of Liberty (only viewed from Battery Park), Subway Trains, Lincoln Center/Temple, Times Square.

I love this city!

Solutions

I've come up with a new solution for my daily dinnertime dilemma.

I'd been using the crock-pot during the winter a lot for soups and traditional crock-pot type of things, but lately I've been using it as a defroster/precooker. It's so simple and has saved quite a bit of time and hassle! Here are some examples of what I've been doing:

• Ground beef can be put in frozen (in the morning), set temp to low, chop it up occassionally. Drain. Add spaghetti sauce and herbs and let simmer. It's a great and easy way to have a flavorful sauce. (I also sometimes add Italian Sausage for even more zest.)

• Put 3-4 frozen chicken breasts in the pot and let cook on low for 3-4 hours. They won't be completely cooked through, but they're at a great stage to be seasoned and they won't end up dry during the final cooking stage. Slice the chicken into thin strips and sautee in a little olive oil. Actually, I had sauteed some onions, red and yellow peppers, and mushrooms in the olive oil first. Removed those from the pan and added the chicken to quickly finish cooking it, and then served them all together with some angel hair pasta and a light alfredo sauce. Very easy, very quick.

• A whole chicken is sometimes a pain to deal with, but I've been getting these more often and cooking the whole thing in the pot (again, on low). The meat will just fall off the bones when it's done and the chicken can be used in so many different ways. The other night I seasoned it with spices and let it simmer in a sauce with diced tomatoes and chilis for taco salads (fresh mex style). Last night I used it for another pasta dish. You could even eat it as is, or in sandwiches.

I'm sure there are plenty of other ideas and uses, and if you have any I'd love to hear!

52 Blessings Project, #14

It's all about the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I also must say that events like General Conference always remind me of just how amazing, and divinely directed, the organization of this church is. I remember a few years ago when they introduced the new logo (pictured above) so the main focus is on Jesus Christ. I love that. What a blessing to have been fed, spiritually, by our leaders this past weekend - and that their words were available in so many languages, in various formats, and carried all across the world.

Unexpected Hiatus

I didn't plan to stop blogging for more than a week. It's just that I've been in a fog for the better part of the past seven days. The only way I could remember what I've been doing is to look back at my calendar.

Last Friday night I tweaked my back as I bent down to put the dog in his kennel and was standing up. (I've been making a considerable effort to not blame the dog for my misery.) I will spare you all the painful details, only to say that it was very painful. I ended up spending a lot of time under the influence of a prescription painkiller and muscle relaxer, which definitely helped the situation, but made me kind of loopy.

On Monday Trudy came to Jemma's preschool with some violins to teach the kids about the violin and the letter V. Jemma even got to play for her class, which was very exciting (especially since she had only learned how to play a couple days before).

I managed to endure working and a meeting at work, which I literally could not sit through and ended up standing and sort of pacing at the back of the room. Jemma and I went to a kindergarten orientation at the school, and now she thinks she's already in kindergarten and that next year will be first grade. I also went to physical therapy, which provided some very welcome relief.

It was sitting that was most uncomfortable. But to be safe, and since the doctor recommended it, the kids did a lot of lifting, carrying, and bending for me, which reminds me of Elder Ballard's conference talk today.

Jill sent me a very thoughtful package which included a CD of mellow music and this great card, showing an exercise for a bad back. This back-bending position would have been impossible for me a few days ago. Thanks Jill, it was very nice and good for a laugh too!

As for now, I'm definitely on the mend and it's a good thing since I have some big plans this week!

52 Blessings Project, #13

I am so thankful for my mom. She's always serving in a selfless way. She is truly an example of one who has charity: she suffers long, and is kind, envies not, and is not puffed up, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, and rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (Paraphrased from Moroni 7:45)