My Granddaughter--the next Top Chef

Here is a recipe that Karen (age 10) came up with on her own.  Her mother was somewhat dubious over a couple of the ingredients but she said it tasted very good.  Yesterday Karen gave me the recipe and I have purchased the necessary items to make it this week.

HAM AND VEGGIE STEW

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 pinches of Curry-Powder

3 Full sized carrots

3 Whole Potatoes

2-3 Cups of Ham (leftovers or preheated, or turkey)

1-2 Pinches of Rosemary

3 cubes of Chicken Broth

My daughter says to add about 6 cups of water or it'll be very thick.

Skin the carrots and potatoes completely.  Chop into bite sized pieces.  Put into boiling water until the carrots are soft enough a baby can chew it, but not too mush.  Make the meat into pieces like the veggies, then add.  Let it stew for a bit.  Add the cubes of chicken broth and pinch in the curry.  Stir, then add the rosemary.  Let it stew some more, and when done, and serve immediately, but it needs to chill or your mouth will burn!  I hope you enjoy this recipe, because I did!

Made up by a ten year old all by herself, her mother didn't help her at all!

It's All Lining Up

Our electronic ticket information arrived yesterday for our flight from Seattle to Johannesburg, overnighting there, then on to our final destination:  Gabarone, Botswana.  Then last night I went on-line and got our tickets on Horizon (Alaska Airlines) from Pasco, WA to Seattle where we will spend the night of May 14.  

I checked on united.com to see how much it would cost to fly to Seattle.  Would you believe it was $1100 for the 2 of us.  For a trip that is 171 miles by air!!  I was truly shocked.  On Horizon it was $478 for the 2 of us.  Now that is a big difference.  I think it is partly because Horizon is a smaller airline that flies these shorter distance shuttles several times a day.

I did splurge a little on our motel--The Raddison.  It is very close to the airport and has sleep-number beds.  I've never slept on one of those so this might just be a treat.  We have to be at the airport the next morning by 5:30 so a closer motel is a bonus.  Plus, last year we stayed at one that was decidedly not to our taste.

Spring in My Step

Okay...So I'm a little down this morning. I'm working so hard on this weight loss thing and I cannot get things moving down. I've exercised much more than I ever have since I was a young thing, I'm eating the right away and my scale is stuck, stuck, stuck. I can't even seem to lose .2 of a pound. Now I ask you.....is that too much to ask for? Just .2 of a pound. Today I'm not even going to exercise although I will wear my pedometer when I go shopping with my friend and keep track of my steps and calories burned.

I can't seem to get my act together and get some house work done. The ironing is stacking up. Laundry needs to be folded. The carpet desperately needs to be vacuumed. I really want to see my granddaughters in Texas.

I need to work on getting that spring in my step. I need to get up from this computer and just get moving. Where is my motivation? I feel like it is there and yet I'm having trouble finding it. I know I cannot give up. I cannot give up. I cannot give up.

We leave for Africa in 7 weeks and 2 days. I had such high hopes for weighing 230 or less by then and now that is looking further and further away although in all actuality it is only 8.2 pounds away. ONLY 8.2 pounds. Get your rear out of the chair, Margaret, and start moving.

Pants Problem--the zipper goes WHERE?

Sunday after church and lunch we came home and I got comfortable. That means I got out of my church clothes and into my bathrobe ready to begin the serious work of my parents' taxes. I'm in the middle of entering words and figures when I hear a timid knock at the door. None of our friends come to the front door as a general rule so I opened the door just a tiny bit, saw who it was and said, "Just a minute."

I shut the door and went to the bedroom where I pulled a pair of pants out of the closet and put them on. They had been given to me some time back and they didn't fit. The next time I tried them on they fit but were tight in the legs. This time they went on easily and I zipped them up, got a blouse and went out to let my guest in. We talked about what he'd come over for (I'm accompanying him at a talent show this Saturday evening) and I casually reached to put my hands into my pockets but the pockets weren't where they were supposed to be. As I continued talking I reached around my backside and there were the pockets facing the wrong direction.

After my guest left I took off the pants and realized that the zipper went in the back not in the front. I also discovered that fastening them by myself is virtually impossible so have decided that I'll never be able to wear them unless Aaron is with me to fasten them. Inconvenient, huh!

My Father

Today my dad is 88. He is an amazing man, full of vitality and life. My dad has never been overweight in his life and still works at maintaining around 150 pounds.

My dad takes care of my mom who is pretty much an invalid. She needs help getting dressed, using the restroom, getting into and out of her wheelchair and the car. Dad does it all. He cooks, cleans, does the laundry, pays the bills and gets up with my mom several times a night. Like I said, my dad is amazing.

At the end of this month they will celebrate 67 years of marriage. 67 years of being faithful to one another. 67 years of loving one another. 67 years of what marriage is all about.

My dad is my example. He is my hero. I love my dad.

A Sad Day

Yesterday (Feb. 18) I presented our Botswana and Namibia pictures to a group of girls at our former church.

When I arrived home my husband said that I needed to call my sister in California.  She had very sad news to share with me.  Her 50 year old, very in shape brother-in-law had died while working out at a gym.  Just collapsed and he was dead.  He leaves a wife, son who is 19 and a 15 year old daughter.  He was in excellent health as far as everyone knew.  So this has come as a complete shock to the entire family.  

There will be tests done to see what caused his death.  

This is a very good example of why husbands AND wives need to know what is going on financially in the household.  Every morning when you kiss your spouse good-bye you don't know if it might be the last time you see them.

My condolences to the family.  I pray that God will be their comfort.

Not Much

Life is going on and on here in Hermiston. Nothing unusual happening. Still working at UHS Library, and may be for awhile longer. Good thing I like it.

You know, I'm kinda tired of so much being blamed on us Conservative Christians. It's like we are a bunch of people who want to kill sick people if we aren't for Universal Healthcare. Or people think we hate homosexuals......we DON'T!!

A Christian is a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Having done this does NOT make us perfect and we should never be self-righteous. The Bible says that our righteousness is as filthy rags. Our righteousness only comes through Jesus Christ.

When a person becomes a Christian your attitude should be changed because Jesus has change your heart. We shouldn't be lying or stealing or swearing. We should be treating people kindly, we should be paying our bills, we should be praying for our elected officials. We should be telling people about Jesus.....and that is what I'm doing right now. I'm telling you about Jesus.