What’s in Your Salad?

Happy day after Mother’s Day, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful, restful day. Last month, I did a blog called “What’s in Your Closet?”. Apparently, I’m a very nosey person, because now I want to know what you put in your salads.

In February, my husband and I embarked on a healthier living menu plan. I’m not calling it a diet, but it could be seen that way. It’s been a very successful endeavor so far as I’m losing weight. In order to break my bad habits, though, I basically had to make food boring. So I pretty much eat the same thing every day.

We’ve managed to cut out carbs at most of our dinners, eating some sort of meat or fish, and a salad. Lately, it’s been getting harder and harder to pull all the salad fixings out of the refrigerator. I think I need to zazz it up a bit and thought I’d ask y’all what you put in your salads.

Here’s our standard salad:

• Green leaf lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Celery
• Radishes
• Cucumber
• Green Onions
• Carrots
• Dressing of choice

That’s it for ours. It takes a while to cut everything up,  but we like a lot of stuff in our bowls. So, if you have any good, lean suggestions for changes or additions, I’d love to hear them. I’m halfway to my primary weight loss goal in 12 weeks and I want to keep it going.

Doin’ Jeff Foxworthy Proud

by Laurie Ryan

You might be a redneck if…

Your kitchen sink looks like this?

I think this picture is worthy of one of Jillian Chantal’s Wordless Wednesdays, but I’ll explain rather than leave it to your imagination.  We did a mini-remodel in our kitchen a while back (counters, backsplash, sink, and faucet). The old faucet was only about 4 years old, but stiff and making a racket when we turned it. So after we pulled it out, hubby called the company and they were aware of a problem with this faucet and had a quick fix, which they sent him for free. Of course, once he fixed it, he HAD to try it out. Hence the outdoor set-up of the old sink and re-fitted faucet.

That’s my guy. As soon as I saw it, I ran back inside for the camera. I knew it was an Over The Backyard Fence moment. LOL.

What’s in your closet?

So it’s that time again. Spring Cleaning has begun in our house. My husband and I have decided it’s time to clear the clutter. To that end, I started with closets. Wow. Were they ever FULL! We had ugly, wet weather here for a while, so it’s been a good indoor chore and we’ve gotten through most of them.

The scary thing, though, is now we have ROOM in each closet. They are no longer filled to the brim with, well, junk. Want to take bets on how long we’ll keep them that way? I’m still trying to figure out how we accumulated all this stuff. Yikes!

Of course, our spare room is now full of piles. Check with the kids piles, give to charity piles, try to sell piles. So the work isn’t over.

And after closets, there’s shampooing carpets and washing windows and…well, the list goes on and on and you all probably have a similar one, so I won’t hash that out.

Once the weather warms up, though, the real work begins. Remember this picture from last year? Well, that “shed” is 70 feet by 20 feet. And the back half is full of…you guessed it…junk! That will be our summer project. In fact, we’ve already begun by asking our children to go through the boxes we are storing for them and either take them, give them away, or verify they still want us storing them.

Yep. Spring Cleaning is in full swing here, even if the weather isn’t saying “it’s Spring!”. And, this next week, we’re supposed to hit 70 degrees for the first time this year. So things are looking up.

So…how are your closets doing?

Guest blogger Heather Von St. James talks about a serious cancer – Mesothelioma

This gallery contains 1 photos.

posted by Laurie Ryan Hi, everyone. We’re priviledged to have with us today a guest blogger I met through an email conversation. Heather Von St. James is a cancer survivor (mesothelioma) and I found her story to be inspirational. It … Continue reading →

Mount Rainier

We’ve been a little water-logged and chilly here in the Pacific Northwest. Even so, on the first really nice, sunny day we got, did we stay home and enjoy the warmth? Nope. Instead we headed for one of our favorite local places. Mount Rainier, the tallest peak in the Cascade Range. It may seem silly to leave 60 degrees Fahrenheit warmth and head for the 24 degrees it was at Paradise, a traveler’s mecca at an elevation of 5400 feet above sea-level. Maybe it was crazy, but it was a beautiful drive, a beautiful walk, and a relaxing day.

(photo compliments of Doug Benedetti)

So I thought, in amongst some pictures of the mountain (not all taken in the same visit), I’d give you a few facts about it.

Height:  14,410 feet above sea level (4,392 meters). It’s the highest mountain in Washington State and the 21^st in the world.

(Taken from the visitor center at 5400 feet, looking at the peak.)

In 1792 Brittish Capt. George Vancouver named Mount Rainier after a friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. The Native American name for the mountain is “Tahoma” which means…Well, I found a lot of definitions for Tahoma and I’m not sure which one is right. The one I like best is “mother of waters”. I’ve also heard that it means  ”great white mountain” and “the mountain that was God”.

It is considered an active volcano. It’s last eruption was approximately 150 years ago. It spawns 6 major rivers (Nisqually, Puyallup, Cowlitz, White, and Carbon rivers). And it has 25 named glaciers on it, the longest and thickest being the Carbon Glacier, 5.7 miles long and 700 feet thick.

Jim Whitaker, the first American to conquer Everest (1963) trained on Mount Rainier.

In the winter, you can sled, ski, and snowshoe. In the summer, the sub-alpine wildflower meadows are awesome hikes.

Each year thousands of people climb, or try to climb Mount Rainier. The last year I could find data for was 2010, when 10,643 tried and 4,920 successfully completed the climb.

And here in the Pacific Northwest, the saying, however corny, is that if you can see the mountain, it’s not raining. If you can’t, it is or is about to rain. Duh!

But oh, what a view!

Book Review – The Chieftain by Margaret Mallory

The Chieftain is the final story in a 4-book series I’ve purchased as soon as each story hit the shelves. I would have bought them for the covers alone, but after reading book #1, The Guardian, I was hooked. I had to know how the stories would end for these four fearless Highland warriors. (and I’ll tell you a secret—I don’t read many stories about Scottish clans. I think I need to read more, because this one pulled me in big time.)

This final story is Connor MacDonald’s. As the Chieftain of his clan, he must be strong, keep the clan strong, and marry for the good of the clan. That self-imposed edict leaves Ilysa, the keeper of his castle and the woman who loves him but doesn’t have the connections to be a “good” match, without much hope.

This story is a romance, but it’s so steeped in history that it feels like more. I followed clan happenings as much as I did the relationship between Connor and Ilysa. Margaret Mallory made these people seem real to me. In fact, I was in tears as this story wound down. It was a glorious finish. I’m both sad that it’s over and happy about the resolution. I think this is a series I will read over and over again.

Here’s the blurb from the author’s website:

THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS: BOOK 4

Four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can’t prepare them for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful Scottish beauties.

A WARRIOR’S HEART

Connor, chieftain of the MacDonalds of Sleat, holds the fate of his people in his hands. Rival clans are plotting to take over his lands, and duty determines whom he will fight, trust . . . even marry. Seeking guidance, Connor turns to Ilysa, a young lass with the gift of foresight, who reveals an approaching danger-and a passion that burns only for him. But the warrior must make a powerful marriage alliance, and Ilysa’s bloodline is far too humble.

With her powers to heal and see evil where others cannot, beautiful Ilysa dresses plainly, speaks softly, and loves her chieftain from afar. Yet when Connor finally stokes the embers of desire that have so long burned within her, Ilysa feels bliss unlike any she’s ever known. Now as he is forced to place duty before happiness, Ilysa senses Connor is in grave peril. Can she find a way to prove she is the woman he needs by his side?

And a link if you want to read more:   http://www.margaretmallory.com/index.html

Bring on the Sunshine…I hope.

Well, winter is winding down, right? At least, I hope it is. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve been blessed with a pretty mild winter. (And I say that tongue in cheek as I’m one who prefers a little snow each winter). I hope you have had a tolerable winter, also.

Now that Spring is around the corner, my husband is starting on garden projects. This year, we’re (oooh, I think I just used the royal “WE” there) starting some seeds in our newly enclosed greenhouse.  This structure has been there the entire time we’ve lived here, but we never took the time to enclose it. 

So now, what used to be a playhouse for our grandchildren is now called “the blue house”. And hopefully, it will give hubby a running start at the produce production. Not that he needs it. I don’t think he remembers there’s only two of us living here when he plants those seeds.

Dude, our 17 pound cat, is already showing signs that he’s coming out of hibernation. He’s not hesitating so much when you open the door to let him out. Cold weather will turn him around in a heartbeat. I think he spends half the winter curled up close to the wood stove. He’s now going outside for more than a quick potty trip. And, at 17 pounds, we’ve been able to talk him into walks around the property. Yes, that’s right. We have to take our cat for a walk. It’s the only way he’ll exercise. He’s such a lazy guy, but too loveable to berate. lol.

Happy almost Spring, everyone!

International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day. It’s held every year on March 8th and I’m a bit stymied as to how I did not know that. Hmmm. My head must be buried pretty deep in that sand, huh? There’s even a website devoted to it:

International Women’s Day website

This day is a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women and there are even countries who consider this a national holiday, like China and Russia. It has its roots in the Suffragettes and their struggle to right the inequalities where women are concerned, so it’s been around since the early 1900’s.

So today, I celebrate each and every one of you, my friends, family, and readers. We are strong, and we are amazing. I thank you for being my sisters in, well, everything!

As for you men, check back around the 19th of November and we’ll give you your nod.

Book Review – Careful What You Kiss For by Jane Lynne Daniels

I just finished this story and I see good things in this author’s future. I know I’ll be waiting for the next book to come out, maybe in the same vein as this one? Ms. Daniel’s does feisty heroines really well. I loved Tensley’s “don’t mess with me” attitude. Of course, that’s exactly what gets her into a bit of trouble and I had a good time watching her get out of those predicaments.

Both Tensley and Max have lessons to learn and the author meshes their conflict well with a story line that will have you laughing your way through it as you try to figure out what, exactly, is going on. I especially loved the slippery soap.

There’s balance to the story, though, due to a whole lot of serious in the attraction between Tensley and Max. Whew! Do these two have it bad!

I found myself checking the page count with each turn toward the end. I found the resolution perfectly tied to the character’s personalities, but wasn’t ready to leave Ten and Max behind. I got pretty attached to them, so I hope I’ll “see” them again.

Here’s the blurb from the author’s website:

What if you could go back and fix a mistake you made when you were young?

With the help of one well-intentioned best friend and one bumbling psychic, Tensley does exactly that. But things don’t turn out as she expected. One simple change and she finds herself falling all over again for the man who broke her heart years ago.

Now she wants a do-over of her do-over.

But love has a way of taking its own surprising turns. And sometimes what you think is your worst mistake…turns out not to have been a mistake at all.

Pueblo Soup

by Laurie Ryan

It’s 34 degrees outside as I write this blog and I’m in need of comfort food. Since I’ve already done a couple hot chocolate recipes (my favorite comfort food), I went looking for a soup. This one comes compliments of a writer friend, Jami Davenport, who made it for a meeting she graciously held at her house. Pueblo soup is easy-peasy and great for warming you up on a cold day.

Pueblo Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound round steak
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 3 beef bullion cubes
• 1 cup water (I sometimes add a little more)
• 1-2 bags of frozen mixed vegetables
• season to taste with cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce

Cube beef and brown.
Cook all ingredients in slow cooker or on the stove until done (maybe a couple hours.) Top each bowl with avocado and Monterey Jack cheese, if desired.

See? Easy-peasy.  And I like to buy an Artisan bread to dip in the soup. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.