Glacier Ridge

Ha, Ha. I Might As Well Call This Blogsite Recipe Central

2008-12-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

For real, I don't mean to have this many recipes vs. life-posts, but with the holidays upon us, I keep accumulating recipes and I have the continual need to *attempt* to de-clutter.

3 more delicious sounding recipes!

Molten Spiced Cabernet Cakes
(Makes 4 Servings)

4 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 Tbsp. Cabernet or Sauvignon or other wine
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Preheat oven to 425º F.

Butter 4 (6 oz.) custard cups or muffin souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on high one minute or until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in wine, vanilla and sugar until blended. Whisk in eggs and yolk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon evenly into prepared dishes.

Bake in oven 15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand one minute. Loosen edges with knife. Invert onto serving plates. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Cinnamon-Pecan Shortbread
(Makes 32 wedges or 36 rounds)

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, room temperature
1 large egg white, beaten to blend with 1 Tbsp. water (for glaze)
1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted pecans for wedges, or 36 pecan halves for round cookies
Raw sugar*

Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Mash with back of fork until coarse meal forms. Using fingertips, work dough until smooth; shape into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, but not hard, about 30 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325º F. For wedges, shape dough into two disks. Place on 2 heavy baking sheets; cover with plastic. flatten to 10-inch rounds. Remove plastic. Brush with glaze. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, then raw sugar; press to adhere. For round cookies, shape dough into 1-inch balls; arrange on two heavy baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Cover smooth bottomed glass with plastic. Using glass, press each dough ball into 2-inch round. Cut with scalloped cookie cutter, if desired. Brush with glaze; top with pecan half and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until golden, about 30 minutes for large rounds and 22 minutes for small rounds. Cool large rounds on sheets for about 10 minutes, then cut each into 16 wedges. Cool all cookies completely on sheets. DO AHEAD. Can be made 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Old-Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies
(Makes about 9 dozen)

1 cup halved dried cherries
1 cup dried currants (about 5 ounces)
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup golden raisins (about 5 ounces)
1 cup brown raisins (about 5 ounces)
1 cup chopped simple candied orange peel
6 Tbsp. bourbon, divided
6 Tbsp. dry Sherry (preferably imported), divided
9-10 dozen paper or foil bon-bon sizied (1 inch diameter) baking cups
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs

Glaze and Garnish
1 cup packed powdered sugar
4 tsp (or more) bourbon
4 tsp (or more) dry Sherry (preferably imported)
Diced or slivered simple candied orange peel

Cookies:
Toss first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in 4 Tbsp. each bourbon and Sherry. Cover; soak 2-24 hours.

Place rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 325º F. Arrange about 36 of the baking cups on each of 3 rimmed baking sheets. Stir in walnuts the one cup flour, baking powder, salt and spices in medium bowl.

Beat sugar and butter in another large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beat in dry ingredients, then remaining 2 Tbsp. each bourbon and Sherry. Fold fruit into mixture. Drop batter by heaping teaspoonfuls into baking cups.

Bake cookies, one sheet at a time until light brown, about 23 minutes, cool.

Glaze and Garnish:
Mix sugar and 4 tsp. each bourbon and Sherry in bowl. Add more liquor by 1/2 tsp. in equal amounts to thin if necessary.

Spoon glaze over cookies; garnish with peel. Let stand until glaze sets, at least 2 hours.

Can be made a week ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature.

More Recipes

2008-12-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

I "borrowed" these first two recipes from Splenda, I have not tried them yet, I'm just attempting to de-clutter my desk a bit, it's getting crazy.

Creamy Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumb
1/4 cup Splenda (granular)
3 tsp butter, melted
(Mix these ingredients together and press into a spring form pan.)

Filling:
1 lb. regular cream cheese
1 lb. fat free cream cheese
1 1/4 cups Splenda (granular)
1 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
Pinch of salt
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Beat cream cheese and Splenda until well mixed and smooth. Add lime juice and a pinch of salt, beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour filling over crust and bake 50-60 or until slightly firm to the touch. Let cool 15-20 minutes before placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate 4-6 hours before serving.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

9 inch double pie crust
1 cup Splenda (granular)
7 Cups baking apples, thin sliced and cored (about 7 medium apples)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt

Prepare or purchase a double pie crust and set one crust into a 9 inch pie pan.
Preheat oven to 425º F.
Place sliced apples into a large bowl and set aside.
Combine Splenda, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a small bowl.
Sprinkle the mixture over apples and toss.
Spoon apple mixture into pie crust.
Place the second crust over the filling.
Seal edges, trim and flute. Make small openings in the top of the crust in your preferred pattern.
Bake in oven until top of the crust is golden brown (40-50 minutes)
Serve warm or chilled.

This next recipe I have flexed out in so many different ways and it always turns out the same way; amazing. I encourage you to try out different flours, different kinds of baking chips, different kinds of nuts. One of the richest combos that tasted so good and hearty; whole wheat flour, white chocolate chips and almonds.
Explore, get creative and enjoy!!

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 ripe bananas- mashed
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Grease and flour bread pan. Preheat oven to 350º F.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix in slightly beaten eggs, melted butter and mashed bananas. Stir in nuts at this time if desired.

Bake for about an hour, when you touch it, it should spring back. (Usually it would be golden brown, but with whole wheat flour, it will be darker.)

2008-11-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

Fudgy Mocha Brownies

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

½ cup butter

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp instant coffee

1 Tbsp hot water

¾ cup chopped nuts

1 (16 oz.) tub milk chocolate frosting (optional)

Powdered sugar (optional)

Heat oven to 350º F.

Combine 1 cup flour and sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes.

Combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, egg, ¼ cup flour, vanilla and baking powder in large bowl. Dissolve instant coffee in hot water. Add to cocoa mixture. Mix well. Stir in nuts. Spread over baked crust.

Bake for 20 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Frost if desires, or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Carmel Fudge Cake

No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 (18.25 oz.) package chocolate cake mix

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup butter

1 (14 oz.) package caramels, unwrapped

1 (11.75 oz.) jar caramel topping

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350º F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking an with no stick cooking spray. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Pour 2 cups batter into prepared pan; bake 15 minutes.

Melt caramels and butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add sweetened condensed milk; mix well. Spread caramel mixture evenly over cake; spread remaining cake batter over caramel mixture.

Return to oven; bake an additional 25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool. Mix caramel topping and pecan in small bowl. Spread over cooled cake; serve.

Harvest Apple Streusel Squares

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

¾ cup butter or margarine, melted

½ cup finely chopped pecans

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs

1 (21 oz.) can apple pie filling

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup all purpose flour

¼ tsp. Ground cinnamon

¼ cup cold butter

½ cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350º F. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and pecans in a small bowl. Press evenly into prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese in medium bowl until fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk and eggs. Pour over prepared crust. Spoon apple pie filling over cream cheese layer.

Combine brown sugar, four and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cranberries and pecans. Sprinkle over apple layer.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden (do not overbake). Cool before serving.

Creamy White Fudge

1 ½ pounds white candy wafers (or almond bark)

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Dash salt

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped nuts

Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with waxed paper. Melt white candy with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and nuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board, peel off paper and cut into squares.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Fudge

2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup (6 oz.) peanut butter chips

Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with waxed paper. Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter chips; stir just to distribute chips throughout mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peek off paper and cut into squares.

Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge

2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk, divided

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup (6 oz.) white candy wafers (or almond bark)

1 Tbsp peppermint extract

Green or Red food coloring (optional)

Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with waxed paper. Melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Spread half the mixture into prepared pan; chill 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature.

Melt white candy with remaining sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint extract and food coloring, if desired. Spread on chilled chocolate layered; chill 10 minutes longer or until firm.

Spread reserved chocolate mixture on mint layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

This is the first post to my regular blog in a long time, and I think I will be more diligent to it, seeing as I have a laptop now and more access to the inter webs without being tied to my PC.

So this Thanksgiving was one of the best int a long time. The family got together, we all made it, there was a lot of food and a lot left over. Praise God. It always seems like there is enough to go around. My brother brought along a laptop that he handed off to me, so I think that it was time again that I start blogging again. As lame as it sounds, the laptop will help me to increase recording to both my blogs.

The other cool thing that happened was that we got a new family pic with my new DSLR. I set the timer for ten seconds and to take ten shots, walked into the frame and hoped for the best. I was super happy that I got everyone's cooperation and that the kids were well behaved overall for the pose. They didn't all pay attention at once and people blinked here and there, but I was content to have a couple that were about 95% of the way there. :)

The last time that we had almost the whole family in a pic was about three years ago, but even then we all were not in it, and you could tell that the kids were inattentive and not happy either. My family rocks, I'm pretty sure. Hope that all of my friends had a holiday as nice as mine.

Happy 2008

2008-01-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

I hope that this year will be better than the last.
I have a few resolutions that might help it along:

1. Be bolder in romantic pursuits.
2. Get a new job that I will like more, and so I CAN pursue my romantic interest, and get the job I want so I can save gas by walking the short mile to work.
3. Lose those last pesky 35 pounds
4. Eat more vegetables so I can lose those last 35 pounds easier.
5. Blog more so I can remember my life events. : )
6. Read friends blogs more so I can see whats up on their life events. : )

What are yours?

Good and Bad

2007-08-28T16:33:00.001-07:00

Today I went through my wardrobe, knowing that there are a lot of things that are 2-3 sizes too big. I went through most of my pants because I have lost the most the fastest in my legs. I lost 24 pants in total, there are 2 more I should have got rid of, but I like them way too much to let go yet.
Number of jeans that I am left with:
4

Two of which I just bought at the mall yesterday, on clearance of course, because I have know idea how long that they will last me. Both pair were under $20 total. Not too shabby if I must say so myself.

I hope that I will continue to downsize for my health, my BMI was lowered almost a full 10 points in 7 months, but it is still way too high. I shall press on to my healthy eating commitment, the longer I go, the easier it is.

As you can see, the progress is good and bad... I miss having lots of jeans to choose from. : (
Hopefully when I reach my goal, I will be able to afford to expand my wardrobe. : )

Progress

2007-08-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Things have been hectic lately, especially at work, the two crazy, angry ladies at work quit, praise God, even though it leaves us very short handed, there's much less drama. The new guy is a blast, he's from a very Catholic family, he's the youngest of sixteen. We probably need two more part timers for sure to help make up for lost bodies, but it will get better at some point in the near future, I know it.

My nutrition plan is going great, people are telling me just about everyday that I look like I'm doing well. It's very strange to get all the attention, I just wanted to be healthier and feel better about myself. With my personality its very hard to take the comments because the inside of me is the same, and even though the pants sizes say I'm smaller, I don't really feel it. I have a long way to reach my "goal" though. I'm hoping that the time that I reach my one year commitment, that I will have achieved it. I'd like to be a normal-sized, trim person. That is all. Normally I wouldn't want to boast in numbers about my progress, but I should for my own records and so I can maintain motivation when I look into the archives of my blog. I never weighed in at the beginning, but a ball park guess is that in six months time of just watching what I eat and making smart food choices, I've lost approximately 45-55 pounds. I think I can go for probably another 30, and I think I can get close in another six months. The initial weight is the easiest, because that's when you're the most unhealthy and have the most excess. One of my best buddies is my unofficial dietitian. Sometimes I tell her thank you for her motivation and for giving me a a healthier body. Cheesy I know, but she's good at what she's helped me do.

Another exciting thing: I got my new phone and new provider. I hope it will be a happy union. So far I LOVE my new phone. I just got my bluetooth headset off eBay and I'm very pumped for wireless two-handed multi-tasking. Yay.
No doubt I will be more more motivated to stay on the phone longer with loved one's instead of rushing to get off to do something.

I guess that's all for now so far for august, most of the time this summer though, it's been S.S., D.D. Working many hours a week, I'd say 50-60 since I've come back from my all too short vacation. I will probably take another short stretch off in about a month for Oktoberfest in LaCrosse, WI. I don't need to party so much as have a silly excuse to visit my brother and his family. It's always good to see those you love, or else you start to forget what it's all about.

Updates and the Down-low

2007-07-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to post a new blog.
It has been a busy summer, and I have yet to do anything fun. I've been working a ton between both my jobs, especially these last 3-4 weeks. I know I need it, especially with my car blowing up on me again, but my body is starting to protest. All I have to say is, 3 more work days until my vacation!!! : )
I'm taking an eight day vacation to go home to my family, the county fair is going on and my nieces and nephews will be taking their 4-h projects to the fair. I will be taking some artwork into open class myself. I get a cheaper season pass that way, and I like the competition. It's a good way for me to keep using my talent and not lose what I have left all together.
Praise God for the timing of my vacation as well. There has been a spell of drama going on at work and I can't deal with it. Fortunately the girl who likes to start stuff put her two weeks in yesterday. God bless her though, she probably needs it seeing as she has issues with the Creator.
Another reason for the well timed break, my body just needs a rest. My neck muscles have been so tight that for the last 4 weeks I can't relax to fall asleep. It's not too fun laying in bed for an hour or two before sleep finally overtakes me. This also makes it really hard to get back up in the morning, lately I've been sleeping through my alarms. I have more than one and I still can't seem to get up.
My plans for my eight days: tan while picking wild raspberries, some drawing, possibly some painting, eating a few cheese curds with the kids at the fairgrounds and getting a new cell phone.

This is my last gripe for this post, I swear. My cell company has been increasingly getting worse at taking care of my issues and I've finally reached the end of my rope when I had a problem using an application accidentally by forgetting to lock my keypad when I threw my phone in my purse. The customer service person on the other end was not helpful at all, didn't offer to get me anyone who could help me better and basically said it was my fault because I don't have a new phone and they cannot credit back my time lost. She then asked if I wanted to upgrade my phone so it wouldn't happen again. I said no, because all the phones that my current provider has right now are junk, and I want a new Nokia. If you know me, you know why. My phones get a lot of punishment, and the Nokia I have now has taken the beatings I've given it for over two and a half years. Before this phone I went through 3 Motorolas in one year. Basically it comes down to the fact that I need a rugged phone because I can be a little bit of a klutz.
I'm now looking at getting the 6085 from Cellular One. They have better plans too. For the same price I'm paying now, I'll get the same coverage and 1000 more anytime minutes. I can't wait to get the 6085; Bluetooth, FM radio, mp3 and a camera. (Having the bluetooth probably will help my neck tightness improve. I have a habit of pinning my phone to my ear with my shoulder to free up my hands sometimes.)

: )

I will miss the 3585 though, it has served me well.

A New Dawn, A New Day

2007-06-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

It has occurred to me that I have been sounding pessimistic lately, especially on here, especially about love, dating and that whole thing.
Generally I'm not very pessimistic, I feel perhaps that I am negative due to my lack of success.
It's easy to not be positive about something that you are not good at.
I'm not really good at dating.
My good friend Abbey has been talking to me lately about how I need to get out there. Lucky girl is already married to a good guy, has a beautiful little boy and another on the way. I told her that I need her to pray for me. Lol. I suppose the worst problem is timing and situation for me. Often I am attracted to men who are not good for me, who aren't interested in me, or the ones who are interested in me, I have no interest in them.
It all comes down to: I need to keep in mind and be encouraged by that it only takes one.
One good one to care for who will care for me back, the other the other 3 billion of the XY pool of the population does not matter.

So today to start off my 24th year on this planet, I will come back as Anne the art student, I will put on the plaid capris Abbey gave me for my birthday, put on my Chuck Taylor's and get back to my optimistic self which is generally more natural for me in the first place.

Another Mark of My Mortality

2007-06-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me.
A lot of my co-workers wished me well, and over all my birthday was pretty good, but I am bothered by the fact of turning 24. I wanted to have the day off from working, but unfortunately due to lack of people, that didn't happen. I made the best of the day I did get off though, I had almost a day and a half that I spent back home in WI with my family and high school buddies, and even got to go to Stevens Point to get a Garlic Cheeseburger from Marvin's. YUM!
After putting on almost 600 miles in a day and a half, I'm pretty tired and I think I will lay this Birthday to rest.
This Mark on my Mortality is making me think even more that perhaps it is time to think about settling own and build a life with someone.
Eh, what do I know, I think I'm just having an early mid- life crisis.
Don't listen to the rantings of a crazy lady.

: P

Where is June going?

2007-06-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

The summer has been pretty busy so far, ANY days I'm not working, I usually am going home to WI. Hopefully I will attend at least ONE June Dairy Breakfast this year. I've been spending lots of my free time cooking lately as well. The best way to stick with a nutrition plan is to prepare all your own food. My good friend Abbey, my unofficial dietitian, and myself figured out that I have lowered my BMI almost a full 7% in four months! (6.9% was the figure). I am glad I am doing this, I know it is a lot healthier for my body, and there is very little sacrifice food wise. The biggest restriction was sugar, but by getting rid of it, I've expanded my horizons to so many good foods. I have been relishing fresh cherry/grape tomatoes. Good thing I have 3 planted in my garden. Hopefully they will start pushing lots of blossoms and fruit. There are a few blossoms already. The garden looks like a Ma & Pa Kettle thing, it's a bit shabby, but as long as the zucchini, tomatoes and onions do well, I'll be satisfied. I want my Mom's Zucchini stew, now.

Other agendas: my car is in the shop for the transmission. The repair was estimated to be about $600-700, so I decided to take the hit and use was I was saving from my tax return to repair it. I hope that this will make it good for a long time now, I would love to get at least two more years out of it, however if it will last longer, I will use it until it dies. I want to be financially free by the time I would want to go car shopping for something really nice and reliable. The plan is, hopefully, GOD willing, that I will be on my way to having children by the time I need my next car, and I wouldn't mind spending good money on something nice, safe and reliable for their sake. Problem with my plan: I think I work too much to find Mr. Mostly Right (I DO not believe in Mr. Right, because no one is perfect, especially not me.) : )

the end of a very long month

2007-05-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

being as i am tired, and its been a very long month, i am going to slack on my punctuation. heck, lets slide on spelling too. just a quick synopsis of the month:
offered promotion, hesitated but probably for the greater good. my current supervisor may remain as such for he could not get into classes for a degree he wants, hes getting married and wants to buy a house.
put in a garden, its a homely looking little plot in the back that is in danger of overcrowding. i wanted to utilize as much dirt as possible as it was hard work busting though the sod and such. could be ive just gone soft. i got two blisters in the process.
my grandma passed away, i will miss her and think of her often. the last few years the dymensia was already taking her away from us. i personally think its harder to watch a loved one deteriorate mentally rather than physically, though both are extremly hard.
God bless you grandma.
took my planned mini vacation the following week without having to use vacation time and spent most of that time with family. found out my healthier eating habits are working well after being curious enough to step on my sisters scale.
laughed at my dads dating philosphy that he picked up from "sleepless in seattle" that he tried to advise me with. i couldnt help myself, if you know my dad, you know why.
all in all, a good month with the exception of my dear grandmother. i like to take comfort in that shes helping to look after me now.

God bless

Hazah for Days Off

2007-05-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today I had a day off from my primary job, it was great. It helped to get away from the stresses of thinking about becoming the head person in my area in the very near future where I am also the newest cast member. I worked for a couple hours at my friends game shop today and talked to him about my other work concerns. He's sympathetic to my worries about leading people that I just barely started working side by side with. I take comfort in the thought that it isn't forever and that the first month or two will be the worst.
After working at the game shop I had a "play date" with one of the girls I went through the Massage Therapy program with. She is fun to hang out with, but she is by far the most liberal friend I have. I'm probably her most conservative friend, on the flip side of things. Sometimes it's really hard for me to be with someone so different from myself, but for the most part we get along alright. We went for a walk in Chester Park, she corrected me in the fact that we were more on a hike. Walk, hike; it's all the same to me if its not running or jogging. I like the lower impact exercise. My folks do not have the best knees in the world, so I figure I should try and make mine last and take care of them. My Dad has a sweet deal, about 5-6 years ago he got new ones. (Total sarcasm here; poor Dad. Although he says he wishes that he would have done it sooner.)
At the end of our park "walk" we checked out this new Mexican place, Burrito Union. My friend isn't the biggest on Mexican, so she passed on trying it. The food was really good. I have a whole new appreciation for Mexican since it is on my diet menu and delicious. I decided on the pork since I usually don't make pork for myself. My next cooking challenge will be to learn how to make shredded whatever so I wont have to go out to eat to have it. It can't be that hard can it?

Lazy, Lazy, Lazy

2007-05-06T23:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe I'm not really being lazy lately, maybe lethargy is setting in from problems sleeping. I'm not really sure why I'm having problems sleeping, but perhaps I've felt a little stressed lately.
I think and hope that I am finally snapping out of it. Tomorrow I have the day off, so I think that I will, and have every right to, sleep in a little bit. I may even take a nap depending how the day goes and how much I get done.
I rearranged the apartment a little bit and tomorrow hopefully I will get things tidied up a little bit. My room has been the biggest area for neglect lately and it always seem to be low priority. One of these days....

I cannot stand my roommate's cat. To put it bluntly, he's pretty much a little bastard, and I LIKE cats. He pretty much destroys a lot of stuff, and at almost any given time you can find him on his way to destroying something new. Not that I entirely blame him, our apartment is his whole world and he's got to be pretty bored, but its getting old. The living room blinds cannot be left down or shut ever since the plastic was removed, and he keeps destroying my two biggest house plants.
Grr.
I've resorted to placing one plant on a fifteen inch plant stand which helps, and the other may have to soon follow. I must say though, it looks totally tacky having such a large pot on such a tall riser. I just hope the moron doesn't figure out a way to knock one of the 40+ pound pots on himself or I'm certain my roommate would blame me for his untimely death.
Several months back he ate my lucky bamboo that was in my fish bowl.
Poo.
It won't take long before he reduces me to tears at this rate.

Work is interesting lately. My supervisor wants to step down though he is doing a fine job, and my manager has asked me to step up. I admit, I'm a little scared of not doing a good job. My new role would entail making sure everyone stays on task and does what needs to get done, ordering product, scheduling associates, and disciplinary action but hopefully I won't be needing to be doing much of that. I hope my co-workers will respect me enough so that we can all do a good job. I worry about this because of the sarcasm of one of the young men, and the warmth from the Greenpeace atheist.
Heaven help me. They do say though, if God brings you to it, He can bring you through it.
On the plus side, the position would give me a ninety cent raise.
Life is definitely weird lately. Finally perfectly content being a peon and a wrench gets tossed into the works. Lol.
Typical.

Adventures in Cooking

2007-04-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I was finally at the end of my wits. I've been on a pretty strict diet for about three months now and I was dying for pizza. I invented a diet pizza. Mmmm.
Probably the first of many new inventions (and pizza combinations).

This one I like to call "Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza"
It was as good as I'd hoped.

I made a wheat crust with a recipe that I found online and modified to this:

Wheat Pizza Crust

2 1/4 c. Whole Wheat Four
1 tsp salt (I used Sea Salt)
1 c. warm water
1 Quarter ounce packet of Active Dry Yeast

Mix yeast and water in small bowl, in a larger bowl, combine salt and flour. Let yeast and water sit about 10 min and blend all together in the large bowl. Stretch crust to pan and poke with a fork and pre-bake 5-10 min before adding toppings.

The toppings for my pizza may sound a little iffy, but it was really good. For the sauce I had a light glaze of Caesar salad dressing, I didn't want too much because dressings are a bit fatty. Mozzarella next of course, followed by bits of grilled chicken and bacon and lots of veggies. Green onions, black and green olives, mushrooms, chunks of fresh tomatoes and spinach found their way onto my "super diet pizza", all topped off with more mozzarella and cheddar. Best part is that it was pretty filling as well. Worst part is with all the toppings that it took about a half hour to all bake together, being broiled for the last five min.

Whoever had the brainchild of inventing pizza is my hero.
Mmmm.

Side note:
Fresh tomatoes are in my future as well as zucchini.
Reason:
I have a super awesome landlord that is letting us put in a small garden.
(He'd probably let us have it as big as we want, but it would be too hard without the proper tools at my disposal)

Yesterday Was One of the Best Mondays of My Life

2007-04-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

So Monday I tried on some pants that I haven't been able to wear for 3 years.

Success!!!
They fit.
: )
All the hard dedication to veggies and sticking to the diet even in low points is paying off. If this good has come about after 3 months, I'm interested in seeing how 6 months into this goes, as well as my promise to myself of a year.
Hazaah!
With the weather being warmer and being more favorable, I'm finding it easier to walk and get a bit of exercise that way.
I'm even to the point where my body doesn't like me when I cheat, like Easter. Sugars make my body almost go into a toxic shock. I don't think my body would ever let me get away with a couple of doughnuts at this point.
Crazy, but a Good crazy.

After a Long Week

2007-04-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

The past six days for me have been more wearing than usual. I worked at both my places of employment five of the six days and had one more full shift at my primary job the 6th day. Today I enjoyed a light day at the game shop, before hand enjoying a leisurely breakfast and morning and afterwards taking a dawdling two mile stroll in the lovely afternoon weather. I even got to checkout a new antique shop that opened this past weekend. Yay for warm weather being back! I decided today that I actually like antique shops, it is amazing how much stuff is familiar to me. The things that make up yester-year are wonderful. Sometimes with all the technological advancements, its nice to see reminders of simpler times and glance at the past. When I lived in Stevens Point, I often liked to bike downtown to their antique store and some of their other little shops (Vagabond Imports was always interesting). The point I'm getting to is that I was grateful for such a nice afternoon to have off after so many days being cooped indoors and not being able to have much fun.
My roommate and I actually got to watch a movie together for the first time in probably two months. We watched Dungeons and Dragons. Definitely not two thumbs up. It seemed to be a pretty tacky "B" film. At least it could be funny it was so tacky. Later I also got to watch Clueless after the roomie went to bed. It had been a while since I've seen it and I almost forgot how much I enjoyed it. My friend Kasi Jo was the first to expose me to this film about two years ago. This could almost be "worse" than Dungeons and Dragons, as it's tacky and girly. : P

Bottom line is, it probably is one of my many favorite movies.

Stolen from my Californian friend....

2007-04-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

HE MIGHT NOT BE COOl. BUT WE THINK HE IS RIGHT

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the perforunhappy mance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is
the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than
Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from
around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you,
your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy. Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case, scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way...Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your birdcage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"YO!!!!!

Has Anything like this Ever Happened to You?

2007-04-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last night something out of the ordinary happened, I laid down while praying the rosary because my back was hurting so severely, after which I fell asleep. That isn't the weird part. The strange thing was waking up the next morning with the rosary still in my outstretched hand, clutching it with no strain or cramping. I took it as a sign from my Guardian Angel that I should finish my rosary.
(My mom says that if you fall asleep while praying, your Guardian Angel finishes praying for you. I figured with the given situation that I was meant to finish my own work this time.)
: )

The Easter Weekend with the Fam

2007-04-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a blessing. I was granted off for Easter Sunday and Monday without having to ask off. Of course, I went home to visit the family. This was the first holiday in a long time that our whole family wasn't able to gather, but all still was good. I had brought home a couple dishes to pass for us to indulge in along with the usual fixin's that my mother has for us. I made sea-leg salad, whole wheat banana bread with white chocolate chips and almonds and mint-chocolate chip brownies. My mother was impressed because growing up I never really spent any time in the kitchen with her, I was always out in the barn on our farm.
The funny thing about going home is that visiting always saps more energy than I had to offer before arriving. For example, Sunday at about 3:00, the kids paused a movie to go do the egg hunt and I just closed my eyes to relax for a bit. Imagine my surprise and disorientation when I woke back up at 8:30 pm.
The next day wore me out even more. My mom and I went out to run some errands, we literally made 13 stops. I feel like every time I go home I have this similar problem. It makes me realize that I need to retire so that I have time for a life and time for my family. Too bad that's a fantasy world right now. Right now in my life, I would like to get my finances in order so I wont have to work so hard when I am older. On the bright side of things it keeps me out of trouble. ; ) My mother would love for me to move back home in an instant if I only said the word. Unfortunately I suffer the curse of being the youngest and my mother does not wish to cope with empty nest syndrome. With that being said, it really was nice to go shopping with her, even if made me tired. We even went to my favorite restaurant, she enjoys it too and my dad doesn't like to go with her there. It's a Mexican restaurant and he just does not care for that style of cuisine.
The time at home was way too short, but as always, time well spent. Every minute of it. At least this time I got to take a few of the luxuries of home with me, a few packs of homegrown steaks and roasts from my brother's farm (the one I grew up on). Hopefully I will get to enjoy those soon. : )

Nummy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Abbey's favorite)

2007-04-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Needed Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking soda
3/4 c. White sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
1 c. unsalted butter (no margarine!)
2 tsp. Vanilla extract (preferably pure)
2 eggs
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl and set aside. In a bigger bowl, combine white sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg. I usually thoroughly mix sugars and butter before adding the other two. Mix thoroughly, then gradually add in the flour mixture. Once all that is mixed completely, add the chocolate chips. Place in small dough balls on cookie sheet (use parchment paper for easy removal, you won't regret it.) Bake 8-12 min or until golden brown.

Never Fail- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2007-04-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

I've won over the hearts of many with these rich delights. This recipe always produces perfectly rounded cookies that remain chewy if pulled at the proper time. Unfortunately I cannot use whole wheat flour in any of my cookie recipes. They dry out into crunchy cookies. : (.

My good friend Abbey has helped me hone both of my recipes to perfection. Thanks Abbey!!

Needed Ingredients:

2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking soda
3/4 c. White sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
1 c. unsalted butter (no margarine!)
2 tsp. Vanilla extract (preferably pure)
1 large egg
1/2 c. chopped macadamia nuts
1 bag white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl and set aside. In a bigger bowl, combine white sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg. I usually thoroughly mix sugars and butter before adding the other two. Mix thoroughly, then gradually add in the flour mixture. Once all that is mixed completely, add the macadamia nuts and the white chocolate chips. Place in small dough balls on cookie sheet (use parchment paper for easy removal, you won't regret it.) Bake 8-12 min or until golden brown.

Mom's Awesome Cauliflower

2007-04-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from my mother, I'm not really sure where she got the recipe, but it's amazing. I didn't like this growing up; but what kid likes that many vegetables?

Needed Ingredients:

One head of cauliflower
2-3 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp yellow mustard (I use 2 because I like mustard)
1/2 c. miracle whip (I use light, I guess it doesn't matter though.)
1/4+ c. shredded cheese. Usually cheddar or colby is best. Amount of cheese depends on taste

Trim cauliflower head and rinse, do not shake off excess water, this will help when cooking it. Place in a very large microwavable dish and cover. Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the cauliflower head and power of the microwave, just make sure it it is cooked. Mix the mustard, miracle whip and chopped onions. Spread mixture onto cooked cauliflower and sprinkle on shredded cheese. Microwave another 1 1/2- 2 min uncovered to melt cheese.

Someday I would like to figure out how to adjust this recipe to make in a conventional instead of a microwave oven.

In like a Lion, Out like a Lion

2007-03-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of March, and it is been an awful strange month.

First it blizzards massively, one of the biggest storms of the decade thus far, and then in the middle/end it teases tragically. For example this past Monday it was 72 degrees, yesterday it was 32 degrees with freezing rain. When I left work there was almost a quarter inch of ice in some areas on my car. This morning wasn't really much better with the parking lot at work being and ice rink with my arrival just before 7:00. I had tried to get my car to stop in a nice parking spot and it skated over to the next spot almost four feet away from a truck there. If I had been gunning for the spot that was actually next to the truck, there's no doubt in my mind that I would have skidded right into that big blue truck.
Phew!

Random thought for the evening: Is it possible to be both OCD and forgetful?

Sea Leg Salad, as requested from my sister : )

2007-03-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Anne!!!

Here's just the ingredients....I didn't have directions written down, but you can handle that....

7oz pasta cooked and cooled in water--drain

1 1/2 c. miracle whip (I've been using the light)

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 c. sugar

small onion finely diced

1-2 stalks celery finely diced

frozen peas thawed in cool water & drained

1/2 lb. imitation crab sliced

I usually make a little more pasta than required and I also put a whole pound of imitation crab......you can adjust the recipe as you like.

See you,

Jane

(I probably will make adjustments, just like I never make the same lasagna twice. Hint: DO NOT USE eggplant in lasagna if you have taste buds, and do not make meatless.)

Recipes

2007-03-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

I think that I have reached the point that I will have to start to label my postings because I am going to start posting some of the family-favorite-recipes. This will make them easy to find for future use. I probably will have to figure out a breakdown for the rest to follow suit with organization.
I figured that this was a good way to keep my recipes in one place and so I wouldn't have to ask my mother and sisters repeatedly for them. I am not the most skilled at organization, my defense is that I'm not really around enough to do it. The arrival of spring helps. As soon as it gets nice enough to take the plastic off the windows, I'm going to let in the new air to help inspire tidying.
Hmm, throwing the recipes onto the blog will also help tidy things up, I can get paper clutter out of my life and off my desk. : D

Grace Kelly Lyrics

2007-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

My eldest sister and I were laughing over this song just cause it sounds so funny. She has great appreciation for the artist's ability in falsetto. I looked up the lyrics and read them off to her. We had a good giggle, she said that they remind her of Dr. Seuss.

Mika

Do I attract you?
Do I repulse you with my queasy smile?
Am I too dirty?
Am I too flirty?
Do I like what you like?

I could be wholesome
I could be loathsome
I guess I'm a little bit shy
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like me without making me try?

I try to be like Grace Kelly
But all her looks were too sad
So I try a little Freddie
Ive gone identity mad!

I could be brown
I could be blue
I could be violet sky
I could be hurtful
I could be purple
I could be anything you like
Gotta be green
Gotta be mean
Gotta be everything more
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you walk out the door!

How can I help it
How can I help it
How can I help what you think?
Hello my baby
Hello my baby
Putting my life on the brink
Why don't you like me
Why don't you like me
Why don't you like yourself?
Should I bend over?
Should I look older just to be put on your shelf?

I try to be like Grace Kelly
But all her looks were too sad
So I try a little Freddie
Ive gone identity mad!

I could be brown
I could be blue
I could be violet sky
I could be hurtful
I could be purple
I could be anything you like
Gotta be green
Gotta be mean
Gotta be everything more
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you walk out the door!

Say what you want to satisfy yourself
But you only want what everybody else says you should want

I could be brown
I could be blue
I could be violet sky
I could be hurtful
I could be purple
I could be anything you like
Gotta be green
Gotta be mean
Gotta be everything more
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you walk out the door!

The Media

2007-03-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

Do you read "Time" magazine at all?
The other day in my workplace's break room I had picked it up because I had noticed that he headline was talking about the issue of abortion. Unfortunately because of the long article and my break being short I had only gotten about halfway through the article. To sum it up, Planned Parenthood is upset about organizations for crisis pregnancies that offer a strong voice for choosing life. They say that these crisis pregnancy places do not give women all the facts, and are screwing with peoples lives.
I thought that Planned Parenthood is pretty pathetic for whining about not all facts being given. They are the ones who don't give all the facts on life, and what happens to the growing baby in the womb. I highly doubt as part of their "facts" that they tell women contemplating abortion that the heart beats at 18 days and that brainwaves can be detected just 40 days after conception.
As a woman, I am upset about how low Planned Parenthood can stoop to destroy men, women and the family. I hope I am around for the day that this nation has the turn around in the culture of death.

Doubting Thomas

2007-03-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been finding myself having a lot of doubts lately. I wonder If my roommate and I live in the right neighborhood with all the bad things that have happened. Last night my roommate had her lock punched in on her car. Some jerk was trying to get away with her new CD player that she got in her car.
I wonder if I've made the right move at work, to aid a hard-up area (the cafe, yippee skippy) I've been coming home beat every night that we've been busy. This weekend was exceptionally bad, seeing as I have gotten out past my scheduled shift both days. This is kinda bad being hourly. Hitting overtime is a big no-no. Not to mention the public, when hungry, is relentless and quite mean.
Lastly, the fear of rejection. My friend Jeff recently found me on myspace and has a survey up which has this question:

35. Have you ever liked someone you didn't have a chance with? Nope, you always have a chance with everyone

I like his positive response. I will admit, talking with my roomie and a couple of my closest friends, it is apparent that finding love isn't easy, and the possibility of rejection makes it all the harder to try for. Sometimes it's funny how scared we can be of another person and how they may feel. Risks seem too big these days in this field I suppose.

This being a season of Lent, I find that these things might be good to offer up. Place our troubles in the Lord for He will help us on our path. Most of the time I feel like there are a lot of small signs, if you will, that help me to feel that I am on the right path. Lately, I think I feel doubtful because I haven't been getting as much reassurance from the Almighty. Don't get me wrong, there are some things that have been going right, for which I have been grateful for. My spirit and body have just been exhausted lately and I think that is where I am getting the doubts from. Amidst working many long hours, I have acquired a cold that makes resting difficult and I don't have the patience for getting over.
With spring coming up in short order, the world will renew and new growth will brighten up our days. Good news for me and my roommate: the landlord is letting us plant a couple things this year. I opt for zucchini. Not a big deal, but something fruitful to look forward to.

Tidbits of Randomness

2007-03-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

This post will be much more random than usual, being just a fast recording of some events in no particular order, just stuff I'd like to remember later.

First off the good news. My good friend Abbey and her husband found out they will be getting a little brother for their son. Abbey and myself played bunko with some of the girls back home this weekend and another high school friend announced that they will be expecting a third child into their family. Wow. Time flies and now I feel old. I didn't feel that old....

Bad news. My landlord got robbed this week by his roommate/tenant. I hope that they can catch him, my landlord isn't too hopeful. I'm surprised that this happened, our landlords run background checks on the tenants that they rent to. Hopefully the culprit gave enough real information for that so they can recover the property.
Why do people have to be so awful to fellow human beings?
I hope that there will be a time that we all can be a bit kinder to each other.

Last thing, not good or bad, I just thought it funny. Because of the blizzard that hit us at the beginning of the month, I had left my car at work.
Not a problem, right?
No, not really. The bus can get me most of the way to work, Granted it is a little slow, it does the job. So I took the DTA to work. (Duluth Transit Authority) The DTA was running a little slow as the road conditions weren't good yet, the driver was feeling stressed and trying to rush the best he can and didn't really have patience for things that were slowing him down. He managed to get back into the time schedule by the time we hit the mall area. The second to last stop at Super One, I noticed that I was the last passenger. The driver looks at me and then the empty bus and tells me that he needs to step off for a minute. I'm like "whatever" I didn't really care, I was already an hour late taking the earliest bus (I called work and let them know my dilemma, they are pretty good about such issues if there's good reasons for it.) I was thought he needed a washroom break or something. I sat there watching time go by; four, five, six and then seven minutes rolls by. Mr. Driver finally came out of Super One with a purchase. Leave it to my life that the bus driver needs to get his lunch or groceries the second time I ever used the DTA and I was already late. Good news, I wasn't really any later to work than I had already expected and my car had no traces of snow on it when I got there. : )
Good.
I had enough of snow by that point in the week.
: )

Going Thru Withdrawl

2007-03-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was very excited to watch "House M.D." after American Idol. I was very sad to learn that my show won't be on again until March 27th. Pity, I really am starting to enjoy the show. Starting? Who am I kidding. I was hooked after the first episode I saw, about a month and a half ago. It's just as well I suppose that they aren't having it on every week during lent. It will help me give up something a little extra.
Hugh Laurie's character's amazing. I discussed with my roommate that I need a man like him to excite my life. Just enough of a pain-in-the-butt to agitate me to my satisfaction. A little tension and irritation is good for a relationship, it helps the two parties to grow (and hopefully in my case, we can help make saints out of each other). If two people get along PERFECTLY all the time, life gets boring.
Yep, I need a man who can be a pain in my butt.

Earlier today:
My roommate and I picked up her cat from the vet.
Poor thing came back a broken man; more correctly, sterile with sore forepaws.
Hopefully he heals up fast.
Poor peanut, its no fun seeing him being so sore.

The Quest for the Perfect Peanut Butter

2007-03-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

Indeed, I had a quest for the perfect peanut butter shortly after I had discovered that the Maranatha brand that I had been using changed the formula of the product. Sure the peanut butter is organic, but I was mortified to see organic palm oil on the label. Most peanut butters with added trans fat sources have them to keep the peanut butter homogenized, so the oil doesn't separate to the top like on most "natural" butters. (Palm, other tropical oils, shortening and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils all are sources of trans fats which are bad for cardiovascular health. A product with only trace amounts are permitted to advertize as having zero grams of trans fats.)
My sister has taught me to be a label reader. At first I thought she was just overzealous, but her preaching has finally made it into my everyday practice. Cardio problems run in the family tree, I always tease that we don't have cancer in our family, we never make it long enough to get it. I figured since I'm turning to a healthier lifestyle, I might has well do it all. "The experts" suggest doing small steps at a time, but sometimes, for certain people, like me, drastic changes are what stick. Break all the old habits at once, trading them all in for better ones.
Eventually, I did find my peanut butter. It is even made in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, good source of fiber too, 1 gram more than most. When females in my age bracket are supposed to consume 25 grams, every extra one counts. (Males in this age group are supposed to get 38, for anyone who wants to know)

Another item from the kitchen, I tried shiitake mushrooms for the first time today. I'm not all that impressed. I'll stick to portabellas and the common whites. Portabellas are quite good, but whites are a little more budget friendly. (Though I find Sam's Club, where I work, we have portabellas for a good price, and like all our produce, are very good quality.)
Mushrooms are a superfood that grew on me. I purchased a large pack from work to ensure myself a chance to learn to enjoy them. I never minded them on pizza, in Italian cooking, or from a can, but I was never crazy about sauteed ones. Now I have been enjoying the low calorie, (watch the amount of butter they get sauteed in!!) high-in-antioxidant-food almost daily with asparagus when I have my mock-omelet in the morning.

Last Item of business,
the best for last.
I was talking to a friend of mine a few nights ago on IM when I was sending out some emails. I found out some amazing news:
A girl who was going with us to LSC who was talking about getting an abortion after finding out she was pregnant, had and kept her baby : )
When I got wind of her wanting to end her baby's life, I had some words with her. My roommates and I were even willing to make a deal with her. She wasn't very open minded about hearing me out so in desperation and in tough love, I laid out my ending statements to plead with her heart and brain as this: Her baby's heart was beating 18 days from conception.
When that didn't phase her, my final words to her to get her to understand how real of a person her baby was were: Her baby has brain waves at 40 days.

I was sure she proceeded with her abortion on how she blocked me out and then skipped several days of school and eventually dropped out. She shut out a lot of people except school stuff before the very end.

I found out she also has a myspace, which she has a blog about the birth of her baby and how much she loves him. I have decided not to contact her after the terms we left off on, but it enough for me to know that she changed her heart and chose life. This is a HUGE faith lifter. She and her little boy certainly still need prayers; the father is out of the picture now and she leads a little bit of an alternative lifestyle. She does have a good family network though.

God is so good, He has power to change the hearts of men (women too ; ) )
Even if she isn't Christian, at least He could manage to touch her soul enough to let life!!

In like a Lion, I hope it leaves like a Lamb.

2007-03-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

March came in with a blast. A blast of cold air and even more snow. Today I sit at home as I have no means to get to work. I left my car there last night, I knew I would simply never make it through all the drifts. I got a ride home with my co-workers wife. Praise God we all made it home okay. Our street isn't expected to get plowed until Sunday. Oh joy.

Where's this Global Warming that "they" speak of? I wouldn't mind a little bit just to get the roads clean and safe.

I was going to go to work today with the DTA bus system if it were going to be up and running today, but its not. Oh well. I hope that my car isn't too buried underneath the snow at work, so that the plows don't smash it when they clear the lot. My friend Lindsay left her car near mine, so we should be okay. I really am surprised that they kept work open today. I suppose, if I had four wheel drive, I might have made it home last night unaided, and got there again today.
My car is heavy and is just getting older and rides lower than it used to. It seems that anything over five inches makes it sink in really nice to get stuck. I never, ever got stuck until this last year, and I got stuck SEVERAL times this week alone. I hope that things get a chance to clear up, so I can get to work again soon and make it to church on Sunday. Yay. I don't even really know where to park my car when I do get it from work, because trying to get it out the next day is usually when I have problems with the getting-stuck-thing.
Hopefully I can use a few of my personal hours saved up to make up for this lost day. I've heard that we should be able to. Hopefully they still will allow.

For a parting thought, I "stole" one of my facebook friend's notes to post along with this entry because I really liked it and would tend to agree with it.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary...

Here with a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?
I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young, it's not so bad.
Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful, lit up, bejeweled trees.. "Christmas trees." I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas," to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson, regarding Hurricane Katrina, asked her, "How could God let something like this happen?" Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent events... terrorist attacks, school shootings, etc.: I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't' want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

A Series of F-words to end February

2007-02-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

As this is the last day in February, I find that I have been slacking in my posting and I should pull together a summary to remember the events of the month. Though this is a short month, it still seemed to fly by really fast. One of two things, I've either been having too much fun, or I've just been kinda busy. I think it's the latter for the most part. Here are my F-bombs in no particular order:

Family:
Things have been crazy with the family. I have been hearing a lot of cute stories about the nieces and nephews, and even got to experience some particulars with my niece and Goddaughter, Catherine. God bless'em those little people. We'll start with my youngest nephew, Aaron. The kid is a doll and he has got more personality as a toddler than most adults I know. The kid does please and thank you in sign language already. He's also a good eater and he knows his food as well as animals. While eating his dinner, he could make a vegetarian faint dead away. Any time he has a little piece of beef in his hand, he declares it as being a "meatball" before having it meet its fate. The best is when he's eating poultry. If turkey is on the menu, he hears this and proceeds to make the familiar "gobble-gobble" turkey sound as hes eating it. Same goes for chicken. I've seen this kid in action, it's hilarious and I really would like to see him gross out a veggie-mite. This same awesome kid was one of my only valentines this past V-day. The others were my folks. That reminds me, I still have to get his art for me on my fridge.
Miss Catherine is another story. Last time I went home for a visit she came along with my sister, my mom and myself. She was the Queen bee of the whole excursion. At my favorite Mexican restaurant in the whole world, she looks over at my mom's plate and peers into her Taquito-Mexicano and asks, "Grandma, what's in there, worms?" I just about died as our attractive waiter walked by (I've been known to have a weakness for Mexicans and Asians). I can't wait to have kids like these someday. Maybe they're not always appropriate, but they are original.
Last off, my dad.
Poor guy. A couple weeks ago I get this email from my sister:

Hello all,

Mark suggested emailing.....I went with Patty to take Dad in for stitches. Joe thought Patty could use back up just in case Dad would pass out or something. He was doing some grinding by the huge grinder & his shirt got caught as well as his jacket. Shirt & jacket were destroyed. Dad was also banged up on his face & arm, but the biggie was the gouge on the back of his head. The doctor said he put in 9 stitches. He also mentioned that there were some grinding marks on his skull. Also, one of his back molars in his mouth may be done for (shattered). He will have to get into the dentist on Mon to check it out.

The doctor was fairly certain that he'd be OK as far as internal injuries. He said that as long as he was talking, walking, and seeing normal that he's probably OK.

No more grinding for awhile,

Take Care Everyone!

Jane

My dad is now well on his way to a full recovery. Stitches have been removed already and the dentist fixed him up just the other day. It was really scary that my dad had worked on a farm for almost his whole life and now he gets hurt by trying to help my brother with a little wood craft project.
Praise God he's going to be right as rain soon.

Friends:
What can I say, I have a great bunch of them. I feel blest, I have several in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. a few weeks ago, I kidnapped one of my WI friends and had her come to the cities with me where a bunch of the Minnesotans gathered at this place, Gastof. It is a German themed restaurant that had good food and great atmosphere and we provided good fellowship. The highlight of the night was that we drank out of this "boot" glass to symbolize our friendship. I was also supposed to go fishing that weekend, but it was too cold. I think that going out and drinking beer with friends was a better activity. : )
Sometimes I miss home in Wisconsin for the friends I had there, but we are all dispersing so much that it doesn't really matter whether I would be here or there. That's the thing about life and growing up. Things always change. Sometimes I think its up to us to determine if it going to be a good change or a bad change. Good thing absence makes the heart grow fonder. I still manage to keep in touch with many of my old friends, I have to, they helped form the person I am today. I owe them many thanks.

Faith:
I unfortunately have been slacking a little in this department. The current turn of weather certainly doesn't help. I can't wait for spring to really come. It'll make a lot of things a heck of a lot easier. Friday when I went to adoration last, there was actually a stranger who came in, looking a bit distressed, asked if I was from that church, and then asked if I had 1.25 for his bus fare home. I usually have no cash on me at all, not having a bank up in Duluth (I have two back home, and I'm quite okay with those, having online banking and all), but God must have been on his side for him that night, for I had exactly that amount in my pocket. I gave it to him, and said a prayer for him after he left. He must have needed a prayer, cause I'm just too ditsy to think to pray for random people on my own. God be with him.

Flurries:
The amounts of snow have been really stressing me out. I have been getting stuck a lot with my car and 15-20 inches more of snow are expected in the next 36-48 hours. I really hope that wont get that much. as much fun as it would be to stay at home and not mind the snow, I need to get to work and driving gets dangerous, if it is even possible. Not that work is that great, but it pays the bills, and if I have to miss work, it makes it take longer to clean up some of those things, like student loans, in a timely manner.

Food:
The high veggie diet has been getting fun. I am learning to cook a lot more and am even inventing some of my own recipes. Most of the time I don't even follow a recipe that much anyway, mostly only for the cooking temp. I cook like my mother, I don't really measure anything, I just use what looks like the right amount. So far so good. Once in a while my roommate and I have people over and so far I haven't gotten booed out of my kitchen. The great thing about having a high veggie diet is that they are low in calories and high in fiber, basically, forces me naturally to cut back in caloric intake without feeling deprived. My favorite way to start my day lately is to have my glorified scrambled egg(beater)s with asparagus and mushrooms. I call them glorified scrambled eggs because I have not perfected the egg flip to call it an omelet. Maybe it's the eggbeaters. Oh well, they don't add cholesterol or fat to it all.
I've been getting into eating healthy big-time. One of my best friends has been my inspiration, as well as a family with heart issues. We don't get cancer in our family so much, we usually can't live that long. My mom has highish cholesterol and my dad has the same kinda issue with blood pressure. Two reasons right there to try and break bad habits when I'm young. I made it a goal for myself to keep up the good habits until next Valentine's day, cause then it'll have been over a year. Hopefully by then I will have fully adopted the lifestyle.

Fun at Work:
Not really, but I had to keep in with the theme. Two of the managers pulled me in the office a couple of weeks ago and asked me to consider going to work in the cafe. I am not ecstatic about it by any means, but it will give me fresh area experience, which is one of the fastest growing areas for management opportunities. With that little carrot dangled in front of me, I said I'd try it. They also said they wanted me because they've had bad attitudes from the workers in the past and they know and trust me to be a good worker for their team back there. Let's hope all goes well, even if I don't want to proceed with management, having a change can be nice. I hope it will be.

Life's busy

2007-02-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

Lately, I'm not sure how, but life has been busy. I think that God is just trying to keep me out of trouble or to try to keep me from thinking about some things too much. The other night my roommate and I had some people over for dinner, I threw together some yummy whole wheat lasagna. : ) It's on my list of stuff I can have.
After eating, my friend Steve helped me to figure out how to put links up. The page still needs refining, but now there is something to work with a little : )

New movie I like:
The Illusionist
Starring Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti and Rufus Sewell.
It seems to me that Rufus Sewell always plays character that is easy to hate.
My parents recommended this movie to me, and I recommend it to anyone else who likes movies set in past time eras.
Beautifully filmed, nice Chroma and smart storyline. I would relate the storyline to the way "The Others" was written. Not as predictable as most.

God bless.

Saturday Blahs.

2007-02-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

Nothing new has happened lately, so I guess I'll just do a quick update. Work was average, Winter finally kicked in and froze me out, my addictions are greatly improved; especially the diet. I have never eaten so many veggies in my life. I am more of a fruit girl, but not any more I guess. I have a good feeling about the diabetic diet, and it doesn't even really feel like that much of one. It's pretty easy to stick to and has a lot of freedom for me. Good thing, it will probably end up becoming more of a lifestyle thing for me, with any hope.
Adoration was good this week, I had a random thought after reading some excerpts from the late Bishop Fulton Sheens book, "Life is Worth Living." It was a section that brought up children and asked the question if they are burdens or joys. Obviously they are joys, but it made me ponder the life issue, and comparing the unborn children to flowers (like Mother Theresa).
My symbology:
If you cut off a flower bud, you will never see the beauty of that flower. More flowers might have come before and may come after, but the beauty of that one bud unrevealed will never be known and never be repeated.
Let all life bloom.
God change the hearts of mankind.

Like my Life

2007-01-30T00:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight I watched the movie "Just My Luck" with Lindsay Lohan. Yeah, I know that she's probably not the best act in Hollywood, but I was swayed by the trailer to see this movie. It was pretty cute. Highly hung up on superstition, but that was what the plot was based on. When Lindsay's character was inflicted with bad luck, I had a lot of laughs because I could totally relate.

It seems that when it rains, it pours. I really wouldn't mind a turn around anytime soon if luck really does exist. Like getting food borne illness this last weekend for example. What a great time to spend a couple of days off from work. Tonight I noticed that I have a burst blood vessel in my eye (from having the food borne illness). From having experienced this phenomena once before in both eyes, I know it'll take it up to three weeks to heal. Cool. Sigh. Then there's the love life. Ha ha. I think I've been tossed a new shovel to keep diggin'. It's okay though, I kind have pledged myself to hopefully make up for all the wrongs by finding the right next. We'll see, but here's to hope (since I don't believe in luck really).
Heartbreak from the past has taught me that I don't want to become attached to someone who isn't going to be worth it. What I want and need, is someone who will be my friend first before my lover. Someone like all my best friends. Unconditional love, forgiving, fun-loving, like me the way I am even when I'm being total weirdo, amazing and most importantly having that be part of them and not just an act. Until that person comes 'round, I wait. Until then, I'll let Hollywood have the romance and drama.
: )
God bless.

From the Archives

2007-01-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

I found this in my "drafts" of my oldest email account, apparently I've had email for a long time. This is from when I was 17 and I still maintain my feelings on being Pro-Life and have actually deepened my convictions. I am glad I was smart enough to save it, since I probably wouldn't have remembered it if I hadn't. I haven't accomplished the goal on being a speaker yet, but it's not over yet. Who knows, maybe I'm more meant for the smaller scale of speaking, or to spread the message a different way?

A 17 year old's pledge of love for life

God I pray that you can give me strength and courage to become a Pro-life speaker someday so that others can understand that EVERY life is created in you for a purpose. Even if that life is created through the crime of rape, that child is precious to one who isn't blessed to have their own. Let them know that their sufferings are offered up for the poor souls and they get graces of their own for allowing God's child to live, to go in his ways. And if the case is life threatening, to know that their purpose is to serve God, to serve God by giving life! I know I would allow my baby to be born in ANY case, even if it costs me my life, because my life is NOTHING compared to the plans for His child - would you want someone to kill your baby? ---Adoption is the Option!---

After reading this, you may say, "yeah sure, she says that she'll do it, but will she?" "It's not as easy as she thinks it is." -Yes, I know, I know it wouldn't be easy to follow through on my promise but it's the way God would want us to choose. I'd rather deal with my own suffering than to knowingly sin against the Fifth Commandment of God. I hope after reading this, you too realize that the unborn are innocent children that shouldn't have to pay for our's or a criminal's sins with their life. Please-I beg you-they deserve a chance.

More Misadventures and Adventures

2007-01-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the day today trying to recover from food borne illness. Let me tell you, most people don't give a second thought about having their good health until they no longer have it. I know I don't. My roommate came back around 3:30 and she helped to nurse me back to health. My fever broke just in time for us to go see Larry the Cable guy at the DECC.
The Larry show was good, he had a fella named Reno open his act, they both were very funny, a bit crude, but funny. Larry even had his guitar out so he could sing us songs at the end. It was a Mossy Oak patterned guitar. The man is a true redneck. He doesn't discriminate either, he pokes fun at all walks of people. I especially liked his pokes at gangs, and I'd have to agree, if they think they are so tough, they should go clean up in Iraq. He made note of how cold Minnesota is, stating that he almost wore sleeves.
I'm glad that I was well enough to go, it was a good time.

An Addict Going Through Withdrawl

2007-01-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

As how I see it, I am an addict. Apparently there are a couple of things that I am addicted to. After starting this diabetic diet, it's apparent to me that I have been heavily into carbs and sugars. This diet isn't like Atkins where you are extremely low carb, but it is extremely reduced and you have to choose good "carb" foods. It is healthy, but if your body wasn't used to as much protein or veggies as mine, watch out. I was bigger for fruits, but this lifestyle calls for less of those and more on veggies. I also wasn't getting much protein, probably in part that I really don't like cooking meat. The first week should be the worst, I'm not quite there yet, so I'm just going to hang in there. If it's not better by then, I will probably have to increase my carbs a bit, probably gunning for fruit. I just think of it as a "cleansing", kicking all the crap food out of my life.
Another thing I probably am addicted to is men. This is a little less severe to me, but they are my krptonite. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with them. I probably am the biggest fan of the "underdog", quickly followed by the "shy" or the "quiet". Another fun type is the "awkward around girls". A couple of my guy friends from back home are like that, they are just so funny to watch sometimes. It's pretty awesome.
Enough of my dorkiness, God bless to anyone who reads my crazy rantings.

Talk about giving all you got at work.

2007-01-24T23:24:00.000-08:00

Today at work we had a blood drive. I really didn't want to do it, but the lady from the marketing department talked me into it. It sure doesn't help that my blood type is only about 6% of the population. I haven't had the best luck when I've donated before. Once I passed out after leaving the blood bank on a hot day, once I got sick way later in the day and I needed my roommate to pick me up from school, and most times the inside of my veins get so bruised up and torn because they run at crazier angles than they will put the needle in. Today was good, they went for a deeper vein that was perfect for the job. Only minimal soreness : ) . My only issue was they were a little slow, and though I started the process at 12:15, I was finished at about 1:48. Oops. I was scheduled to start work at 1:00. It was for a good cause so as long as I wasn't going to get in trouble for it, I didn't mind. To my pleasant surprise, one of my supervisors told me that Thursday I will be able to make a time adjustment and be credited for my shift. Nice.
It was a good day. I had started out tired, having overslept the alarm for a while. After donating, I felt more alert and having more goodwill towards mankind. They must have taken all my tired, crabby blood. Pity the recipient if that is the case.
After work I finally made it to adoration, the first time in a long time. Hopefully I can stick with my commitment to make it at least once a week. Last year is was so much easier when I lived three blocks from the Newman house with their adoration room. Tonight I brought along a prayer book that our Sunday night youth group used to use and I stumbled across a prayer that I really like. It is the prayer for priests. A beautiful poem, a beautiful prayer.

A Prayer For Priests

Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord.
Keep them, for they are Thine-
Thy priests whose lives burn out before
Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them, for they are in the world,
Through from the world apart;
When earthly pleasures tempt, allure, -
Shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them, and comfort them in hours
Of loneliness and pain,
When all their life of sacrifice
For souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and O remember, Lord,
They have no one but Thee,
Yet they have only human hearts,
With human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host,
That daily they caress;
Their every thought and word and deed,
Deign, dearest Lord, to bless.

Out for a Drive

2007-01-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was fortunate enough to take a cruise in my pimpin' ride (lol).
(She's a '96 Buick LeSabre with too many miles, 60,000 that I put on myself since October 2003, add'tl fog lamps, Pioneer CD player and a pair of 10" Pioneer subs, 3.8 liter 3800 series V-6 engine that probably doesn't have all 205 horses pulling anymore, but she's still got some power.)
The first stop was at Osseo, Some friends and I from high school got together for a mini reunion. It was good times, we've all known each other ten years or more, so there are not many secrets. We sat around most of the time shooting the breeze, munching on yummy whole wheat products, playing Trivial Pursuit (Pop Culture Edition), Sequence (lots of fun for this first timer- combining bingo, cards and board game) and watching a movie. These girls will always be a part of my life. It seems like even if its been a while since we've talked, that it doesn't weaken our bonds. Praise God for these beautiful friendships. They have truly become an extension of my family, I feel like an aunt to their children (the ones with kids). I have been blessed with the opportunity to live with three of them over the years. The next morning we all went to church together. Being that one of the gals isn't Catholic, I was really touched and glad that she went with us. I will admit it was a surprise.
The nearest church was the next town over, Fall Creek. The church of St. Raymond's was a modern one, and breathtaking at that. Behind the tabernacle there was a huge windows overlooking nature, hillside with trees and beautiful rock formations. I'm not certain if this is favorable by Church teaching, but it was pretty. The music was different too. They had an ensemble of a guitar, a 12 stringed guitar, an oboe, a flute and a piano. Interesting and a pretty sound.
We are planning to reunite again in May. : ) I can't wait.
Later on Sunday I got to swing by my eldest brothers place and see him and his family. His sons gave me hugs upon arrival and leaving. I was impressed, they don't show that much love to me usually when I see them at Grandma and Grandpa's (my folks). My sister-in-law made a lovely dinner and it was fun to watch the boys eat and to encourage them to finish.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Sigh.
: )
Along my journey, I noted a few small towns that I must make it to again when the weather is warm.
Cumberland
Deer Park
Baldwin
Shell Lake

For anyone else who may care, I also recommend visiting the gorgeous tri-cities, triplet cites, whatever, of Baraboo, Portage and Beaver Dam. Antigo, Shawano and Stevens Point are also quite charming. Part of me will always be a redneck, small-town country girl.

At the end of the weekend and the beginning this week, I've decided to take a crack at the Diabetic diet. My friend has suspected me for it for a couple years now, so maybe I can try it to see if I get "healthier" from it. I'm not really concerned about a certain number of pounds so much, but just to become healthier for me. Hope I can stick to my guns. I figure if I blog about it, maybe I'll have better luck sticking to it.

God bless.

Loaves and Fishes!

2007-01-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a fun night. My roommate and I decided since that we both worked and early shift, that maybe we should make a dinner and invite some people over. I had this notion that I wanted to make manicotti. I have never made it before, so I was a bit nervous. Despite not having a second oven rack to make the garlic cheesy bread to go with the meal, the meal for us six pulled together beautifully. (we ended up bugging the downstairs neighbor for his oven, and invited him up for food too) Though I never spent too much time with my mother in the kitchen, I must have her inherited her inborn skills for cooking. The review for the food was unanimous, apparently I am allowed to cook again. : D It reminded me of the the loaves and fishes story, I was worried that we might not have enough, but everyone ate well, some even grabbed seconds and there still was enough food to feed probably four more adults.
I really do enjoy cooking, and cooking from bare ingredients as much as possible. (the more steps you must take, the less preservatives and salt and probably healthier for you) Its just that its hard to cook this way for one or two. I was having a discussion about such things with my sister the other night, telling her how I can't wait to stop cooking for one, and hopefully stop working full time. Her being a veteran to motherhood and wife-hood, she just had to laugh at me in her wisdom.
Looking at my life and job and such, I note some of my peers have these office jobs, women too. for a while, it made me feel a little "lesser" that I had no desire for such a job. Tonight I finally realized when I was cooking dinner that it is not that I am "lesser" at all, I'm just different. Upon further thought, I noted that I have some talents for the arts and then it dawned on me: "you moron, this is the difference between right-brained and left-brained people". Huh, no wonder I don't mind monotonous boring jobs, it gives my brain room to roam around and brew new theories and project ideas. I was a strange case in college, I always liked taking the science courses, just to learn. DNA and genetics was one of my favorites to learn about. : D I always knew I would probably never use it for a career.

You've Got Mail

2007-01-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

We've all heard that familiar phrase. Today I got the latest thing I drudged up on EBay. It is a slim vintage Zippo with metal sculpted artwork on the side of the Madonna and Child. When my friends Eric and Kevin saw it, they called it heretical. I suppose, being a lighter, it has the potential to kill and/or inflict cancer. I don't smoke now, but I did socially in the past when I'd go the the bars or out bowling. Not the brightest time in my life, but what can I say, I'm human, I'm not perfect, therefore I am capable of doing some pretty dumb things. I do however have a lot of lighters from my past. I like the look and feel of a Zippo, and respect that it has over 75 years of American craftsmanship. In the next few years I wouldn't be surprised if I had a few more Zippos.

I'm going to state now that this blog will be lengthy, jump around a lot and wont at all tie together. I just feel that since I'm doing this "blogging" that I want to get out a few things that I have been having on my mind lately.
Today I decided that I need to commit to making it to adoration at least an hour a week. I realize that this wont change the world, but maybe, it can help transform my world and my soul. I want to strengthen my convictions as a defender of the unborn and lately, I haven't been doing so well. I lack the boldness that the opposition has. I pray that God may keep me humble and meek, but not when it comes to defending others, especially those who cannot speak up for their rights.
I'm a little disheartened with the media and our society in general today. Today in the break room I was bored on my lunch and just paging through some of the magazines, and I came upon "Glamor". Appalling, to sum it up in one word. There are articles in there about polls on how many women admit to not going back to their homes on the first date, how many women actually keep a tally of how many men they have slept with; there was even a blurb and a glorified photo of this chick from the evangelical church who was supposedly a bishop. Why do women do this to themselves? Basically, the way I see it, women demand all this respect from men and try to be their equal in everything, and all the are doing is losing more respect than ever before. Can they not see the beauty there is in just being a woman? Isn't it a hard enough task to just do what we were created to do? To nurture and support life? Men and women both need to do what they were created for. This is our minimum vocation as God's Children.
I am certain this is one of the worst points in the history of our great nation that women get abused and taken advantage of. It's no wonder when women let men have sex with them whenever they feel like, take birth control and the morning afters and let people kill their unborn babies while casually calling it "abortion of a fetus" (It frustrates me, but doesn't surprise me, how they always dehumanize the unborn)
There is little True Love in today's society.
It's no wonder.
How can you love what you can't even respect?
I'm convinced that Love wont be in full bloom again until people respect life, respect our bodies, and above all, respect God.
As a whole, we are a Godless society.... we have actors, actresses and entertainers that we worship.
I feel very blessed that I have as many truly catholic and conservative friends as I do. If I did not, I would have no hope.

God bless and Thank You to all those who bring me hope.

On a lighter note, my roommate and I watched American Idol tonight. It was the 1st set of auditions and it was pretty entertaining. The one I am hopeful for is the reservist, who also has a husband currently in Baghdad. An American hero for an American Idol. I hope she does well. After my previous rant about the media, I feel the need to clarify that this was maybe the 4th episode EVER that I have seen of Idol. I usually geek out on DISC, TLC, HIST and Discovery Health if I do get the chance to watch TV.

I guess the cliche' is right, Country Music can be depressing.

2007-01-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Well, being its a Monday, and I hate to drone on extra nonsense in my intro blog; I just wanted to say to any music enthusiast that the song "Amarillo sky" by James Aldean makes me have mixed feelings. This song made me think fondly of how my dad raised us kids on the farm and what an awesome set of parents I have. Ironically, at the same time, the song makes me really depressed because I won't have the opportunity to raise my family on a farm. It's a wonderful way of life and great to raise a family, but when a living cannot be made, it simply cannot be done.
(it is a good song though, I recommend giving it a listen)

Fortunately, my brother has been able to keep the farm in the family, unfortunately, he still needs to have my should-be-retired father helping him with some chores because he still has to work another full time job. I am really glad my dad doesn't mind, I actually think it's good. Sometimes when older farmers do TRULY retire, they lose their purpose and start to fade, I've seen it happen too much and heard of many other instances too. Plus, it gives my folks good opportunity to bond with their grandchildren that live there.

Another uplifting thought (good gracious, I've been in MN too long, I actually am developing sarcasm) was brought up when I was talking to my friend Preston the other day. He reminded me that an important day is one month away. I had to groan when I realized that he was talking about Valentines day. Yay for the patron Saint of lovers, but there's not too much for me to look forward to this year. Maybe another year I'll have a little more anticipation for the Saint's day.

An Introduction to the Adventures, or maybe Misadventures of Annabelle Elizabeth.

2007-01-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

So I've decided to start a blog, wow. I see it somewhat as an internet journal, and I never have been much for journals, but as my memory worsens as life goes on, maybe it is time for me to record some of my thoughts and events and such.
There have been many times that I have forgotten some of my more nerdy and/or embarrassing moments and have been reminded of them by some of my closest friends. God lov'em. Maybe, this way, I can help myself at least selectively remember SOME things. ; )
This blog name has meaning behind it. After a bit of thought, I settled on naming it after the farm I grew up on that I miss very much. I have a few pictures of it in my slide show on my myspace page: www.myspace.com/annielsie
Eventually I will probably add a few pictures onto here once I become more familiar with this site. Though I can blog on my myspace, I wanted to keep the bulk of my blogging off of it because it is such a "popular" site to cruise on, and lately, there have been some strange people trying to add me as a "friend".
I'm all about meeting new people, but when I get that email from "Nathan" who lives a half hour away and asks me to hang out because he saw my profile and he thinks I'm neat and wants to watch movies with me at 11:20 pm, I think I will just have to pass. Sometimes, interestingly enough, if you reply back to mr. "interested" they never talk to you ever again. Ha ha. Sometimes I wonder what are these people actually thinking. I don't really expect to find love online, at least with a total stranger, I am just curious to see how "interested" these people are, and how far any conversation might go. (I am much too guarded to actually venture that route, at least at this point and time, though I know some folks who actually have gotten together from "meeting" on the internet.)

I miss home, but I know I needed to run away. I originally moved to Minnesota to go to school for a Massage Therapy program, which I have completed, but more than likely will not use unless I need something to fall back on temporarily. My wrists simply cannot take it. I was very surprised by this; after all, shoveling "stuff" for over six years on the farm never bothered me. I've decided much to my Dad's disappointment, that I need to save my hands for better things like art and to hold my future children. I comforted him with the thought that only one of his children is using their degree anyway. Not bad. A one to six ratio.
My mom however, is okay with it, she'd rather me make more art for her personal collection anyway. She has managed to hoard almost every single piece of clay work I have ever made.
She also has many of my paintings/drawings on display in her basement. Well, at least I have one patron.
From my years in 4-H, I have enjoyed exhibiting pieces at the local "fair" and have continued to do so in Open-class. I have expanded a little bit into Photography from this, but that has been brought to an abrupt pause due to a little mishap this last fall. With any hope, I will have some sort of camera again by summer.
Anyway, after this overwhelming intro blog, I doubt many of my blogs will be this long, though some might. Hope some people get a kick out of this, and might even like their lives more because of it, cause I doubt that their lives can have a "Case of the Mondays" as bad as mine. Generally, my life has been great, but there are PLENTY of misadventures that happen along the way.