Where is Ethan!

He is very good at hiding!!

Goodreads-WEBSITE OF THE DAY

Goodreads. "Goodreads is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations." Search books, literature trivia, book quizzes and quotes. Twenty-five million members.
https://www.goodreads.com/

This mornings adventure

Eldon H. from here in the park needed a pdf document signed and sent and he wanted to do it by email. He had the form scanned into his computer but needed to be able to add text to it. Now I tried to do this many years ago but did not have much luck so I was swimming around looking for solutions when I stumbled upon PDFzen. Eldon has Google Chrome and Google Drive and we added the app PDFzen which allowed us to open the pdf and then edit it. First we saved the original pdf in Google drive-opened, edited and mailed the saved document right from there. Easy Peasy although it took a long time for the stumbling around part. So if this is an app you think you could use, go to the Chrome store and search for pdfzen. It works within Google Drive.

Learning new stuff is way cool.

Very Cute Commercial

If only we could do this it would be so much fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfxB5ut-KTs

Daddy is in the Navy!

Scarlett, Nina and baby Skylar

Mom Ann and Nina

Missed Call

I missed a phone call from great granddaughter Elise. She called to tell me her favorite meal is *Runza casserole. It is one of our standbys and it sounds like it may become one of hers as well. I was sorry I missed her call. Elise will be four next month and it is always great fun conversing with a four year old. You are bound to find out some fascinating facts. We will be seeing her and her brother Leo later in April and we are looking forward to fun with the kiddo's!

* The runza casserole recipe can be found on the recipe page of this blog near the bottom.

Twice Baked Cauliflower

Peggy posted this on Facebook. It is for sure one on my todo list.

Twice Baked Cauliflower

(Makes 6-8 servings; recipe adapted slightly from The Low Carb Gourmet.)

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower

4 oz. low fat cream cheese (do not use fat free)

1/2 cup low fat sour cream (do not use fat free)

1/4 cup minced green onions

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (If you only have finely grated Parmesan, use a bit less)

6 slices bacon, cooked until very crisp, fat blotted with paper towel and then crumbled

1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

(I used Kraft 2% milk sharp cheddar)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and cut into small pieces. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until cauliflower is tender, but not overly soft. Drain well and mash with potato masher, leaving some chunks. Mix in light cream cheese, light sour cream, green onion, Parmesan, and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon.

Spread evenly in a medium-sized glass casserole dish. Sprinkle with low-fat cheddar cheese and reserved bacon. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Nina Grace

Nina Grace is our great grand in Georgia/Florida.
Growing up so fast! She has two sisters, Scarlett and Skylar.

snipped from Facebook.

For Kindle Fire Users

Judy Lowary told me about this great website for Kindle Fire users and I have to
 agree. You will need to subscribe but it is a painless process

http://www.lovemyfire.com/

With the Kindle Fire being "The #1 best-selling product on

Amazon"* there's a real need for a friendly, easy-to-use website

about these tablets.

Blog settings changed and other stuff

I have made some changes to the blog settings. One of which is the ability to post comments. Years ago I used to have it set so anyone could leave comments but then some unsavory characters left inappropriate ones so I changed it so they were not shown. So now I set it  to allow comments but you are required to be a registered user. So look in the left column and find where you can join and then be able to comment on a post. I think this will add a bit of pizzazz so I hope you decide to join and comment. Some of you have joined in the past so you will not need to rejoin. Also, let me know what you think about the changes.

Butch and I cleaned the vent covers on the roof. Now if you know me at all you know I did the ground work and he did the roof work. We had not cleaned them since they were installed so it was long overdue. A great deal of satisfaction is a result of getting these chores done.
Afterwards we walked over to the flea market. The cheese slicer I have used for my entire married life (55 years) broke. New ones like it are hard to come by. You know the ones I mean with a wire and a roller? My roller was long gone but I had learned to adjust.We saw a new one in the grocery store but the wire was wobbly and would never do a good job so we passed on it. So I looked to see if the Rada company made a cheese slicer and yes they do. It is more like a knife than a wire but I have always liked Rada products so decided to go with it. The Rada factory is in Waverly Iowa! Buy USA!   https://www.radacutlery.com/ 
I have used it once and I am happy with it. There is always a learning curve with a new utensil but I think it will be fine. Getting my slices straight was an issue but that was true of the old one as well.
On Amazon this little jewel was $10.90 while at the flea market it was $6.99

We usually go to the flea market on Saturdays so the remainder of Wednesday turned into Saturday for me.  Having two Saturdays doesn't matter when retired. It just means you are slightly askew for a bit.

My agenda for today is to continue on the cleaning. Butch plans to shuffle this morning and play cribbage this afternoon.

Another thing that happened yesterday concerned golfing in Boone. Aha! I bet that set you to wondering. I am a MyPoints member. I have been for years. Since 1998 actually. They send me pages in email, ads really and if I click on the page and go to the website I rack up 5 points merely for going to it. Do not have to buy anything and believe it or not it has never resulted in any spam for me. Once your points have accumulated you can buy things or get gift certificates. I usually get gift certificates for Amazon. 1700 points will get me a $10 credit for Amazon or many other stores. I have done this many times. Since 1998 I have racked up over 70,000 points. If this interests you let me know because I get points if others join too but that is not what this is about.
While looking at the MyPoints email, they offered a Groupon deal for a golf round in the DesMoines area. I am also a Groupon member so I checked it out. Two people with a cart for 18 holes was $29 and it was at the Boone Iowa course in town! That is a few blocks from Jason. So I  purchased the deal. Since it was through MyPoints I received 15 points per dollar too. 435 points! Win/Win!!

Most days it does not take much to amuse me.

Female Intuition

Butch laughed way too hard at this joke. The truth must be funny.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY

An RV isn't required and there are some great ideas here.
Awesome RV recipes. Click on pictures of delicious food then browse through websites with tons of tempting recipes for camping or RVing. On Pinterest.

Spring on the playground

Digging Deeper

We finished the windows and the roof vents. Two big jobs done. So then I started sorting paper, throwing out some, setting some aside that stays in the motorhome and another bunch to get moved into the house  and a burn bag. The burn bag is one for the burn barrel when we get back to Iowa.
I even whittled this pile down to saving things in google drive and updating our health information . Now that is refinement, my friends.
In so doing, I came across some snippets I have saved and a short poem written and then long forgotten.

Here is the assortment...

Sayings I found tucked away here and there while Spring cleaning.

“Holding a grudge is letting someone live in your head rent free.”

“ Happiness is that little space between too much and not enough.”

A poem I wrote found in the same nook or cranny:

     Bright Side of Nasty

Some days are better than others.

The good and the bad take their turn.

Forget all the bad,rejoice in the good,

a lesson we all have to learn.

Tomorrow may try to be nasty,

and smugly think it has won.

But when the dust clears, the score you’ll see here

Bad day-zero Me-one

“Life is a gift. If we don’t live it well we are being ungrateful. And we have to love the ones who journey with us.”

Chores and supper

     Butch finished washing the motorhome yesterday and I helped and then tackled washing the windows inside. Today we plan to take on a few other long neglected areas such as the roof vents.
     At least once a year we go through every nook and cranny and often discover forgotten treasures. They must be treasures otherwise why would we have kept them in the first place. If time permits we may also do that today. Spring brings on nesting instinct in all of us it seems.
   

 Last nights supper recipe is below and it is a keeper.

Egg Salad and Cheese Quesadillas

(Makes 4 quesadillas, can easily be increased. Recipe shared by a Kalyn's Kitchen reader.)

Ingredients:

4 hard boiled eggs

4 small size flour tortillas (use whole wheat or low carb

tortillas for South Beach diet)

olive oil or non-stick spray for spraying tortillas and pan

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 T mayo or light mayo

1 1/2 T finely chopped green onion

1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, or use other seasonings of your choice)

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup finely grated cheese (I used a low-fat Mexican blend of four cheeses)

Instructions:

Follow instructions for making perfect hard-boiled eggs. Let eggs cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into pieces about 1/2 inch. Mix eggs with Dijon, mayonnaise, chopped green onion, and Spike seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spray or brush olive oil on frying pan and on bottom side of tortillas. Spread egg salad mixture on half of each tortilla, not going clear to the edge so it doesn't fall out while quesadillas are cooking. Top egg mixture with 1 T grated cheese, then fold the tortilla to make a half-moon shaped quesadilla.

Heat frying pan over medium-high heat, then cook quesadillas about 3-4 minutes per side, or until cheese is melted and they are slightly browned. Serve hot, with salsa on the side if desired.

Keeping up

At times it isn't easy keeping up with two blogs. Especially when the interesting stuff can apply to both. So if you are a reader of this one and not the magnolia one you may want to check it out. www.magnolianews.blogspot.com

Things are winding down here with many people leaving. The pace slows and we start looking to Spring cleaning and other chores we have been too busy to tackle the past 5 months. We are leaving here April 9th and headed for Sattler (Canyon Lake) Texas for a one night stay before making our way to Llano TX for a week. Then we will be making our way north with one night on the road and Peculiar MO being the next destination on Friday April 18th. Right now it looks like we will be in Jefferson on the 21st. Circumstances can change things but that is the story for now.
The weather has moderated. We are usually putting up with 90's by now but this year it is 80's and that is a good thing. Actually it is the sort of weather we usually enjoy most of the season. So once again weather is a non-issue. I like it when weather is a non-issue.
Today Butch plans to tackle washing the remainder of the motorhome. He did the roof yesterday. I am his gofer and lookout when he does this while at the same time getting some inside work done too. Windows may be my feature of interest.

My last computer class was yesterday and we had a good time. I received many Thank You's of which I am grateful. I will miss them but know we will be doing it again next fall. The beginner class has come a long way and may choose to join the advanced class next season. I think they have learned enough to feel comfortable there.

The Best I Can

If you are a regular reader of this blog you are already aware of my friend Colleen. For me, reading one of her columns is like going on one of our walks. We do this at 7:00 AM each summer morning in Jefferson Iowa. Our walks are not only exercise for our bodies but also for our minds and our conversations feed a need in each of us. As I read her latest column below, I am thinking about this park and the people who are in it and the fact "We are all doing the best we can."

‘It’s important to assume positive intent on the part of others regardless of their behaviors. They are doing the best they can at the moment.’

March 19, 2014

~a column by Colleen O’Brien

This quote above has been floating through my life for a year or two. I wrote it down without attributing its owner, which I regret. I searched Google, but even the Great G herself could not come up with the person who said it.

(Obviously, Google does not know all. This was disappointing as well as satisfying; I found it refreshing to learn that she, if only in one instance, could know as little as I. G was doing the best she could.)

In a book group discussing The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeanette Walls, I defended Jeanette’s mother, who was flakey, self-centered, troubled. She seldom served meals or cleaned house because she hardly ever left her art studio. She had inherited land but refused to sell it to make her family’s life tolerable. When I said to the book group, “She was doing the best she could,” three women took umbrage and attacked me for giving the benefit of the doubt to a bad mother.

At the time I came across this quote I was not thinking of other people, I was thinking of myself. I needed to at least hope I was doing the best I could and wanted others to think likewise. In other words, no judgment, folks. If I could do better, believe me, I would.

I soon assimilated the controversial quote into my dealings with the lives of friends and strangers alike – assuming positive intent on the part of others regardless of their behaviors. Yes. A good point of view to maintain. Most of us are doing the best we can. And if I doubt it or am uncomfortable with how the person is doing the best he can, I don’t have to hang out with him.

Perhaps there are born sociopaths; I know there are people who learn to be vile because they’ve been treated vilely. But I do believe that the general run-of-the-mill human is struggling with finances or kids or health, befuddled by relationships, always preoccupied with one inconsequential thing or another. In this broad spectrum of non-sociopaths, people are doing the best they can.

When my husband and I first traveled around the country with a trailer, meeting all kinds of people from everywhere in the U.S. and Canada, I was struck by how people were friendly one day and, often, unfriendly the next. It soon dawned on me that I didn’t have to feel ignored or shunned because I could pigeonhole them as mostly old, which meant they couldn’t see, couldn’t remember or had hemorrhoids.

When I found the quote about humans doing the best they can at the moment, I could smile, say hi whether they said hi or not, and keep walking. I no longer had to make up stories about hemorrhoids because I was no longer hurt that they didn’t say hi.

Sometimes I myself can’t even smile. That I’m walking and acknowledging at the same time is a feat in itself.

Like you, I’m doing the best I can.

Ethan plays

Ethan plays a video game for the first time. His Mom says it did not last long.
Just the other day one of my friends asked why I didn't have a picture of Ethan lately so I was happy to see this one. He is growing up very quickly!

Marlene's Lemon Meringue Pie

Butch's sister, Marlene, makes the world's best Lemon Meringue Pie and I am not the only one who thinks so. My friend Peggy says it makes her mouth water just thinking about it. Yesterday at crafts we were discussing her pie and I said she most likely has the recipe in her head and wouldn't be able to tell us. But I emailed her and asked and she shared her meringue recipe with us this morning. So here is Marlene's Meringue.
From Marlene:

It’s a strange recipe, but works for me –

                                    Never Fail Meringue

                                    1 TBLS. Cornstarch

                                    2 TBLS. Cold water

                  Blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan

                                    ½ cup boiling water

                  Add boiling water and cook, stirring until clear and thickened,

                  Let stand until COMPLETELY COLD.

                                    3 egg whites

                                    6 TBLS. Sugar

                                    1 tsp. vanilla or lemon flavoring

                                    Pinch of salt.

                  With electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy.

                  Gradually add sugar, and beat until stiff but not dry.

                  Turn mixer to low speed, add salt and flavoring

                  Gradually beat in cold cornstarch mixture.  Turn mixer

                  Again to high and beat well.  Spread meringue over

                  Cooled pie filling.  Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes.

Mother Earth News

I subscribed to Mother Earth News 30 years ago. I still have a bread recipe from that publication.
Today I found this site of the day. Good old Mother Earth News is still around.

Directory of Culinary and Medicinal Herbs. "Discover the exceptional flavors and gentle healing capabilities of more than 40 of the plant kingdom’s finest. This is your one-stop shop for reliable information on cultivating, cooking and healing with these special plants." From Mother Earth News.
motherearthnews.com