pictures meet photoshop

Here are a few of my favorite "creations." Pictures I've taken at the Arboretum or out at Woodrill and then transformed into something else with photoshop elements. I love the contrasts and lines and colors.

rj

the delicious crock-pot dinner

The chicken, potatoes and carrots were in the crock-pot for 10.5 hours. Everything was still delicious (proving the theory that you can let it cook longer than 8 hours on low).

I had some for dinner last night. Brought some for lunch today...and have some for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow night I'll have a grilled steak (on the George Foreman grill) and mac & cheese...

I love food!
rj

Morris, Gilbert: The Cat's Pajamas

Last night I finished the second book in the Jacques and Cleo Cat Detective series. I liked this one too and will definitely read the third.

My only criticism was that the character developments at the end of book 1 seemed to be missing for the first half of this second book. It was almost as though everyone went back in time rather than forward. It was very disconcerting.

But Jacques the Ripper and Cleo were lovely and the mystery was easy to follow. The book was more about the characters than the murders.

rj

Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots in the Crockpot

Tonight's dinner...cooking away at home in the crockpot while I work.
I'm delighted at the idea of going home after a long work day and having the food ready to serve. I made enough for 3 meals.

Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots in the Crockpot
3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp onion salt
6 mid-sized red potatoes
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 4 inch chunks
1 can stewed tomatoes (garlic, basil, oregano flavor)

Put them in the 5-Qt crock pot in the order listed.
Turn it on low for 8 hours.

Yum. Yum.

When the weather rebels...

The nature of fibromyalgia:
Well, it comes and goes…and there’s no cure.
Today the body aches.
Yesterday it did not.
I’m kind of foggy. It’s hard to concentrate.
And I have a mild headache.

The explanation: It is rainy and humid and hot here today.

memories are better than the now

I remember being at the family cabin up in Togo, MN. The weather was beautiful. I was about 7. Grandma Koski and I were in the cabin making blueberry buckle. (I should clarify: Grandma was making the buckle; I was, um, assisting.) My job primarily consisted of asking lots of questions, measuring out two cups of blueberries, and pouring them in at the end. Grandma took care of the other details like flour, shortening, egg, milk, the oven, the pan.

And the buckle baked up so yummy. We would have it warm (not hot) with vanilla ice cream. It was delicious. I can taste the sweetness in my mouth. The breeze blowing through the cabin cooling it off after we used the oven. I can smell the buckle baking.

I made some myself last night. It just wasn't the same. It didn't taste the same. It didn't smell the same. Hmm. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't great. Maybe Grandma added extra things while I wasn't looking? Or maybe she didn't...and it was just better then. Being there, with her, learning how to bake. I still make her blueberry pie the way she did...just add a little of this and that. No measuring. And it turns out great. Not the same as Grandma's, but a good substitute.

rj

Evanovich - Full Bloom & Full Scoop

I finished the last two books in the series. Glad that I did. They were very light summer reads. I seem to be in the mood for those kinds of books lately. I have so many books to choose from, but I keep choosing the light ones.

I'm sure my desire for a serious mystery will return.

I started the second Gilbert Morris book last night. The plan is the read less this week and get back to that decluttering project. The headache is gone, and I'd like to keep it that way.

rj

blue blueberries

We picked blueberries on Saturday. The weather was lovely. The farm (The Berry Patch) was perfect. The berries were ripe. The nephew enjoyed it for about 1 minute.

Then the boredom kicked in. He was the only kid in the berry patch to have a 5 minute time out. sigh. I wished I'd remembered my camera. I could have snapped a shot of him sitting in the middle of the row while everyone around him was intently picking berries.

Anyway, both my sister and I got 1/2 of a 5 gallon pail. I froze some, ate some, and have some in the fridge to make a blueberry buckle. I'm planning to do that tonight and bring it in to share with the co-workers tomorrow.

On the down-side, the berries I froze last summer are still in the freezer, so I guess I'll need to bake something with them this week as well...I even found a bag way in the back from 2005. That one I just threw out. Seemed smarter that way.

rj

Rhubarb Torte

My Grandma B. makes this delicious dessert. It is well worth the time it takes to prepare it.

Rhubarb Torte

1st layer:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp sugar
Mix all ingredients together and spread into a 9x13 pan. Bake 350° for 10 min.

Then mix 2nd layer:
6 egg yolks
1 cup cream or half and half
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp flour
5 cups rhubarb cut up
Spread this mixture over the above and bake 40 to 45 min. at 350°

3rd layer (meringue)
6 egg whites
8 tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and put the meringue over the baked rhubarb. Sprinkle with coconut and return to oven to brown lightly, about 10 min at 350°.

Yummy Birthday Cake

Here's a delicious, mouth-watering recipe I got from my friend Deb.

Yummy Birthday Cake
1 chocolate cake mix (with ingredients to make it)
2 cups heavy cream
½ tsp cream of tartar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup brown sugar
2 - 1 ounce bars semi-sweet chocolate
Hershey’s candy bar

Make 1 chocolate cake mix, using two 8 inch or 9 inch pans, according to the directions on the box. You can use any type of chocolate cake—milk, dark, devil’s food, etc. When the cakes are completely cool, slice them in half horizontally.
Frosting: In large bowl, beat heavy cream on high speed until stiff. Beat in cream of tartar just until blended.
In separate bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla, and brown sugar until fluffy. Cut 2 bars of semisweet chocolate (the kind that comes in a box in the baking section) into chunks (about ½ cup). Stir chunked chocolate into cream cheese mixture. Fold this into the heavy cream.
Put the cake together, layering the 4 sections with frosting between each one, and then frost the whole outside of the cake.
Grate a regular-sized Hershey bar on top of the cake and on the plate around the cake, if there’s room. It’s best to make this ahead of time and let it “set” in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

On Headaches

I think I'm going to need to start limiting how much I let myself read each day. I've been having headaches almost every day this week. I wonder if it's from doing computer work all day and then reading for a couple of hours each evening.

It could be the weather. Or an allergy to something outside. Or too much caffeine. Or maybe too little caffeine. Or stress. Anxiety?

Very frustrating.

Perhaps I just need more rest. I'm definitely going to add that to the weekend's agenda -- time with sister Libby (fri), blueberry picking with sister Holly and nephew Jordan (sat. a.m.), movie/dinner with Curt (sat. p.m.), church, friend's wedding (sun. p.m.)...um, yes. I'm going to rest this weekend. sigh.

rj

Evanovich - Full Blast

I finished another book in the Evanovich series. Very quick easy reads. Light-hearted romances. I'm already half way through the next one in the series. Just one more to go after this.

On Coffee

I love coffee. My favorite is dark roasted with 2 creams. Freshly brewed from beans every morning. I bring my own thermos of coffee to work. The office coffee is just not up to my standards.
Yes, I am a coffee snob. Not as bad as some though. But quite a bit picky.

In the Twin Cities, there are three "chain" coffee shops that I go to most often - Caribou Coffee, Dunn Bros Coffee and Starbucks. There are also several non-chain places I visit as well.

This week Caribou sent a $1.00 off coupon for any one of their summer drinks. Then Dunn Bros sent a "Load $10 on your Roastmaster Rewards card and receive a Free Drink Voucher." And today I got one from Starbucks offering me a free drink if I use my registered Starbucks card (which I don't have yet...).

Plus every month I use a few of the $3.00 off a pound of beans coupons from Dunn Bros. I've taken to buying both regular and decaf and making half-caf at home. This allows me to drink more coffee with less caffeine...which keeps the headaches at bay and helps me sleep.

rj

Evanovich - Full Tilt & Full Speed

I finished two more books. I liked the characters, but the plot was light. It looks like there are a couple more in the series, so I'll probably read them...but check them out from the library rather than invest money in a purchase.

I haven't decided yet which book to read next. I have the second Gilbert Morris book, I could check out the third one in this Evanovich series when I return these two to the library, plus I still have quite a pile of books at home to read.

We shall see how the mood takes me...
rj

the cure for stress

When I am truly overwhelmed I find that time with God is the only thing that calms me down.

I had just such an experience last night. I have been busy and busy for days. And last night was no exception. I had been planning to do one errand and then head home. Instead things went longer and were more stressful than I had planned for them to be.

I got home at 7:45 p.m. I go to bed at 8:00 most work nights. I had gotten home late on Sunday night as well...and slept poorly. So, by 8:00 last night I had a pounding headache, an upset stomach, and ache-y body, and just generally crabby and stressed out.

After I took my medicine, turned on the fan and put on my sleep apnea machine, I just laid on my bed. For minutes and minutes.

And then I started talking to God. Just inside my head. Praying for a good night's sleep. Praying for the stressful things of the evening. Praying for rest. Reminding myself of His goodness. Of the many blessings in my life. My home. My cats. Cozy climbed up and snuggled on my chest for a while. She is so soft. I felt quite loved. And slept wonderfully well.

rj

Lovely Weekend It Was

I had a wonderful weekend filled with lots and lots of fun stuff.

Birthday visit with sister Holly on Friday...got to go with while she bought her present -- a hand-held GPS tracker so that she and Jordan can do geocaching. A great way to exercise and explore.

On Saturday it was Caribou Coffee, IKEA, then Mall of America...where we shopped, played miniature golf, had Starbucks, and dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. After the Mall, we went to Borders Bookstore and hung out for one more cup of coffee.

Sunday brought another full day...Church, lunch, shopping, Caribou, then the movie The Dark Knight.

And oh, I did like it. Definitely worth seeing. Lots of plot and character and twists and turns. And Christian Bale.

Today it is back to work. Kind of nice to get back to the routine. And sitting. I did way too much walking this weekend. I hurt today. I hurt yesterday. Perhaps with rest today I won't hurt tomorrow...one can always hope.

Cold Sesame Noodles

A co-worker just brought this in. It was delicious. I asked for the recipe...and plan to make it soon.

Cold Sesame Noodles

5 tablespoons sesame seeds
5 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Tabasco
½ cup hot water
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles (if you cannot find fresh Chinese egg noodles, substitute 12 ounces dried spaghetti or linguine)
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced thin

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds. Puree the remaining 4 tablespoons sesame seeds with the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and Tabasco in a blender (or food processor) until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add the hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream (you may not need all the water).
2. Cook the noodles in 6 quarts boiling water seasoned with the salt until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water until cool. Shake out the excess water and transfer to a large bowl. Add the scallions, carrot, red pepper and sesame sauce and toss to combine. Arrange on a serving platter (or divide among individual bowls) and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

Serves: 4 to 6 (this dish can be easily converted into a main dish by adding cold, shredded chicken.)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Games to Play

I love this game...The Set Game. Very Challenging. Today I found the six sets in 1 min 17 seconds.

http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm

I also love to do the Sudoko puzzle...the harder the better!

http://www.uclick.com/client/sto/sudoc/

I like the games that require logic and skill. When I have time, these are the two I play most often (on the internet). On my computer I play Spider Solitaire and Mahjong Titans.

With real people I play scrabble, cribbage, rummy 500, and SORRY (the friends like it...sigh).

rj

Maggie and Cozy

I have some updated pictures of my cats.

Surprisingly they look about the same as they did a couple of years ago in the other picture (posted on the right of my blog).

But they are adorable. And such princesses...Cozy is sleeping on a big pillow on the rocking chair and Maggie is snuggled up with her favorite blanket.

Batman - The Dark Knight

The movie is here. Just released. The friends and I will see it on Sunday. I'm so excited. The preview looks great. The reviews are good...

http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/

So far this summer I've seen (in the order that I liked them):

• Hancock
• Sex and the City
• Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• WALL-E
• Get Smart

Wow it's been a busy movie summer...

And Mamma Mia is next. Oh and the new X-Files one...

rj

On Fibromyalgia

I was all foggy yesterday. Just had a really hard time concentrating. I figured it was because I didn't sleep well Tuesday night.

After a good night sleep last night, I feel somewhat better today...though still about a 4 (out of 10) on the pain level.

It's hot and humid here today...the storms should come this afternoon/evening and then cooler for the weekend. But I seem to hurt more when it's humid.

I went to my neurologist yesterday. She's the one who put me on Lyrica (pain medication for fibromyalgia)...to try it since it won't interact with my seizure disorder. I had been on Ultram, but it can lower your seizure threshold. Anyway. The good news is that the Lyrica is working for my pain. The bad news is that I've slowly gained 13.5 lbs since december. Yet it could have been worse.

I need to stay on the Lyrica, so I need to figure out a way to be disciplined and stick with the Weight Watchers plan as well. An up-hill struggle.

rj

Evanovich - Full House

I finished Evanovich's book "Full House" last night. It's a different series from the Stephanie Plum Numbers ones. At least the first book in the series had a bit more emphasis on the romance than it did on the mystery. Which was just fine. It was a lovely little story.

There are 5 other books in the series, so I can add them to my "Books to Read" list. Those and the Gilbert Morris' cat mysteries. So many books to read...

Awake and Alert

I slept for 10 hours. It was lovely. I feel much better today. Awake and alert.

Which is great since I'm going to be working on my procedures' manual at work. A huge undertaking. My task is to write out the details for all of the various things I do at the company. I'm finding out that writing step-by-step instructions is very time consuming. And things I do intuitively need to be thought through and documented. Fortunately I have until the end of the year. Another co-worker, who had to put one together for her job, suggested that I do it as I go. When a project/task comes up I should do it and then type up what I did. I'll try to do that whenever possible.

Here's an example of one I wrote out on Tuesday. (It took 10 minutes to do and 30 to type up what I did...this is going to be a long 6 months.)

Quarterly New Business Report

Look-up Data
Open ACT!
Lookup àBy Example
Put an “X” in the “830 Gang Member” field (upper-right corner)
Click on the Exclamation point.
Switch to the Contact List view (left side of screen)
Click on View àAdd Columns.
Add “Date Entered” and “830 Gang Member”
Sort on Date Entered.
Switch from the Edit Mode to the Tag Mode.
Tag all of the records with dates in the last quarter.
Click on the “Lookup Tagged” box.

Exporting Records
Choose File àData Exchange àExport
File type: “Text – Delimited”
Click on the ellipse box for “Filename and location”
Find a location and type in a name for the file.
Click Save
Click Next
Leave the “Contact records only” toggle checked.
Click on the “Options” box.
Check the “Yes, export field names” box
Leave the field separator as “Tab”.
Click Next
Choose the “Current lookup” toggle.
Click Next
Choose the fields you want to export or just Reset the Map to export all of the fields.
Click Finish.
Close ACT!

Import into Excel
Open Excel
Open the file. Change the file type to “All Files” so that it will locate the “.txt” file.
On the Import Wizard, choose “Delimited” as the file type.
Click Next.
Check the “Tab” box.
Click Next.
Click Finish.

Format the Worksheet
Delete (or hide) the columns you don’t want for the Report.
Rearrange the columns in the datasheet.
Change the text to Wrap-Text. Expand the fields so that you can see the data
These are the fields you should end up with: Contact, Company, Owner, Source, Est $ (changed from Estimated $ Amt), Change w/l/p/na? (a column you need to add), Win/Loss/Pend/NA (changed from Win/Loss/Pend), and Comments (concatenate the last two years of Comments to get this data).
Make the Header Row Bold and Yellow.
In the Page Setup: change the orientation to Landscape. Changing Scaling to “Fit to:” 1 page wide by 40 tall.
On the Margins tab: Change the Margins to Left: .5; Right: .5; Top: .75; Bottom: .75; Header .3; Footer .3
On the Header/Footer Tab: Change the Header to say New Business Report (insert Quarter and Year)
Change the Footer: Left side: Return to (XXX) by (Date). Middle: “Please change the Win/Loss/Pend/NA status as appropriate.” Right side: Page number.
On Sheet Tab: add “$1:$1” to the “Rows to repeat at top” field.
Click OK.
Print Preview to confirm settings. Adjust column widths as needed. Readjust row heights as needed.
Save.
E-mail to Gang Contacts.
Sample Note: “Attached is the draft of the 2nd quarter 2008 new business report.
Please review your items and make any changes necessary to the Win/Loss/Pend/NA field (or to any others that you find).
I will compile it on 7/21 with any changes and then give the final report to Lynn.”

Bran Refrigerator Muffins

I wonder if Holly and Jordan ever made their Bran Refrigerator Muffins. Here's a recipe I found in my files from a couple of years ago. Might be worth whipping up a batch for quick breakfasts...
Bran Refrigerator Muffins
3 cups all-bran cereal such as All Bran or Bran Buds
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup very hot water
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup stone ground wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
1. In a medium bowl, add the cereal and raisins and then the very hot water. Stir in the melted butter. Set it aside to soak.
2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and stir in the buttermilk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flours, salt, and baking soda together until well combined.
4. Make a crater in the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg mixture and the cereal mixture and then stir with a spatula until combined.
5. If you choose to make muffins now, fill well-greased tins two-thirds full. Refrigerate the remaining batter in a covered container in the refrigerator.
6. Bake the muffins for 14 to 18 minutes or until they test done. Let them sit in the tins for several minutes and then remove them to wire racks to cool. Freeze any leftovers.

Makes about 18 large muffins. Store batter in fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Do not stir the mix when making a new batch. Just scoop it out with a small cup or a large spoon and drop the mix in the muffin cups. Cover the mix and put back in the fridge until the next use. I use an empty 5 quart ice cream bucket to keep my mix in. Nice tight lid keeps it fresh.

Henry Swims

Last night didn't quite go as planned. Here are some great pictures from "swimming" at the pool. Isn't the boy adorable?

HenJo is CUTE

These are also from last year...same idea as Jay's pictures. Took lots of the same thing. Now it makes a cool slide show.

Jay Works

This is a collection of pictures from last fall. I snapped a series of them while Jay was working in the back yard. Let's see if this slide show thing works...

The daily blurb

I did 30 minutes of de-cluttering last night. Worked on the dining room table. I sorted through mail, magazines, coupons, receipts, cats who climbed up and got in the way, paid bills, and even put all of the quarters in the quarter jar for laundry.

Tonight there are a few more bits of stray paper (coupons mostly), and non-quarter change to move to the big collection jar, and other such things to finish off the table. I also need to scan through the six magazines I found buried there and file them away in mom's box to transport to her house...out of my clutter and into hers. teeheehee.

After I cleaned, I snuggled up on the couch (cats in tow) and read for a couple of hours. Started the Janet Evanovich book "Full House." A light little romance she co-authored with Charlotte Hughes. Looks like there six books in the series. Lovely. Just lovely.

I also read more in my book "The Myth of Happiness" by Rich Wagner. I am reading just a few pages at a time as I try to take in the concepts and let them mull around in my head and heart. It's a great book on Joy.

Here's a little blurb on it from Google books:
"What is joy? What isn't joy? And most important, how can we experience it? After all, isn't that what we long for -- something that goes beyond a smiley face and takes hold of the fullness Jesus promised his followers? C. S. Lewis said he was surprised by joy, but the reality is that most Christians today are just plain confused by it. While paying lip service to joy, we replace it in favor of a cheap substitute -- happiness. In The Myth of Happiness, Rich Wagner dispels our misconceptions and reveals the true nature of biblical joy. He wrestles honestly with the tough questions many of us wonder but haven't known how to ask. Is joy anything more than a plastic smile? Can we experience joy while battling fear and uncertainty? Are Christians honestly expected to "count it all joy," rejoicing in the midst of turmoil and tragedy? Can real joy possibly live up to the hype? Joy transforms. It's God's most tangible gift available to believers this side of heaven. Wagner debunks the myth of happiness and helps us receive the unquenchable joy Christ promises."

Jay-Bo's 4th of July

Look at the nephew. On a four-wheeler. Look at that smile. So happy!

Later that week...A little argument. A big lecture to the Auntie about taking pictures unasked. I believe the quote was, "don't take my picture." Alas, I was already snapping it as the words registered.

2 - Letter Scrabble Words

I just remembered that I was going to check on these 2-letter words. I had heard that they were thinking of adding "za" as a word. I see that they also added "qi" and "ki". This should make the game even more interesting. High-point letters that make 2-letter words. Mmm...the possibilities.
Anyone up for a game?

2-Letter Words
AA: n pl. –S rough, cindery lava
AB: n pl. –S an abdominal muscle
AD: n pl. –S an advertisement
AE: adj one
AG: adj pertaining to agriculture
AH: interj – used to express delight, relief, or contempt
AI: n pl. –S a three-toed sloth
AL: n pl. –S an East Indian tree
AM: present 1st person sing. of BE
AN: indefinite article – used before words beginning with a vowel
AR: n pl. –S the letter R
AS: adv to the same degree
AT: prep in the position of
AW: interj – used to express protest, disgust, or disbelief
AX: v –ED, -ING, -ES to work on with an ax (a type of cutting tool)
AY: n pl. –S aye
BA: n pl. –S the eternal soul in Egyptian mythology
BE: v AM, ARE, ART, WAS, WERE, WAST, WERT, BEEN, BEING to have actuality
BI: n pl. –S bisexual
BO: n pl. –S a pal
BY: n pl. –S a pass in certain card games
DE: prep of; from – used in names
DO: n pl. –S the first tone of the diatonic scale
ED: n pl. –S education
EF: n pl. –S the letter F
EH: interj – used to express doubt
EL: n pl. –S an elevated railroad or train
EM: n pl. –S the letter M
EN: n pl. –S the letter M
ER: interj – used to express hesitation
ES: n pl. ESES the letter S (also spelled ESS)
ET: a past tense of EAT
EX: n pl. EXES the letter X
FA: n pl. –S the fourth tone of the diatonic musical scale
GO: v WENT, GONE, GOING, GOES to move along
HA: n pl. –S a sound of surprise
HE: n pl. –S a male person
HI: interj – used as a greeting
HM: interj – used to express thoughtful consideration
HO: interj – used to express surprise
ID: n pl. –S a part of the psyche
IF: n pl. –S a possibility
IN: v INNED, INNING, INS to harvest
IT: pron the 3rd person sing. of BE
JO: n pl. -ES a sweetheart
KA: n pl. –S the spiritual self of a human being in Egyptian religion
KI: n pl. -S the vital force in Chinese thought
LA: n pl. –S the sixth tone of the diatonic musical scale
LI: n pl. a Chinese unit of distance
LO: interj – used to attract attention or to express surprise
MA: n pl. –S mother
ME: pron the objective case of the pronoun I
MM: interj – Used to express assent or satisfaction
MO: n pl. –S a moment
MU: n pl. –S a Greek letter
MY: pron the possessive form of the pronoun I
NA: adv no; not
NE: adj born with the name of (also NEE)
NO: n pl. NOS or NOES a negative reply
NU: n pl. –S a Greek letter
OD: n pl. –S a hypothetical force of natural power
OE: n pl. –S a whirlwind off the Faeroe Islands
OF: prep coming from
OH: v –ED, -ING, -S to exclaim in surprise, pain, or desire
OM: n pl. –S a mantra used in contemplation of ultimate reality
ON: n pl. –S the side of the wicket where a batsman stands in cricket
OP: n pl. –S a style of abstract art
OR: n pl. –S the heraldic color gold
OS: n pl. –S ORA, OSSA, or OSAR either an orifice, a bone, or an esker
OW: interj – used to express sudden pain
OX: n pl. OXEN or OXES a hoofed mammal or clumsy person
OY: interj – used to express dismay or pain
PA: n pl. –S a father
PE: n pl. –S a Hebrew letter
PI: v PIED, PIEING, PIING, or PIES to jumble or disorder
QI: n pl. -S the vital force that in Chinese thought is inherent in all things
RE: n pl. –S the second tone of diatonic musical scale
SH: interj – used to urge silence
SI: n pl. –S ti
SO: n pl. –S the fifth tone of the diatonic musical scale
TA: n pl. –S an expression of gratitude
TO: prep in the direction of
UH: interj – used to express hesitation
UM: interj – used to express hesitation
UN: pron pl. –S one
UP: v UPPED, UPPING, UPS to raise
US: pron the objective case of the pronoun we
UT: n pl. –S the musical tone C in the French solmization system, now replaced by do
WE: pron the 1st person pl. pronoun in the nominative case
WO: n pl. –S woe
XI: n pl. –S a Greek letter
XU: n pl. XU a monetary unit of Vietnam
YA: pron you
YE: pron you
YO: interj – used to call attention or express affirmation
ZA: n pl. -S a pizza
http://www.hasbro.com/games/adult-games/scrabble/home.cfm?page=Tips/wordlists

favorite black & white pictures

The Clutter Home.

I have now named it. This week's goal is to spend 30 minutes every evening de-cluttering. Just 30 minutes. No more. No less. Perhaps if I do a little every day I can make some in-roads into the mountain of clutter.
rj

Gilbert, Morris - What the Cat Dragged In

I read this lovely cat mystery/love story this weekend. A nice quick read. The first in the series. I will definitely get the others.
Similar to the Lillian Jackson Braun "Cat Who" mysteries...but the cats actually "talk" in this one...or perhaps it would be put better to say that we get to read their thoughts.
Mom, I'll put this in your box...you'll want to give it a read.
rj

Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies

And a family favorite...do not make these unless you have somewhere to take them. They are addicting. I have been known to nibble half the pan away.

Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk, divided
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 (18.25-ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup peanut butter morsels

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine 1/4 cup condensed milk, butter, and next 3 ingredients (butter through egg white) in a bowl (batter will be very stiff). Coat bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press two-thirds of batter into prepared pan using floured hands; pat evenly (layer will be thin).
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl; stir in morsels. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly over brownie layer. Carefully drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 brownie)

CALORIES 176(25% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 2.1g,mono 1.6g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 2.6g; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 30mg; SODIUM 212mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.9g Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2000

Andes Haystacks & Poor Man's Turtles

Mmmm...found these while I was looking for quick dessert recipes to make.

Andes Haystacks
1 sleeve Fiber One cereal
1 10 oz package Andes Mint crushed candy

Melt candy in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until liquefied. Stir in cereal. Drop by teaspoon or tablespoon onto cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Refrigerate until set. Store in fridge or freezer
Depending on how big you make them, they come out to be 1-2 points each. I believe the total recipe has 42.5 points, and I made about 35 decent sized ones. They taste a lot like Girl Scout Thin Mints.

Poor Man's Turtles
1 (1.7 oz.) Package Rolo Candy
8 Mini Pretzels
8 Pecan Halves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Place pretzels on a foil lined cookie sheet.Place 1 Rolo on top of each pretzel.Bake for approx. 4 minutes or until chocolate gets shiny.Remove from oven and gently press 1 pecan half into each treat.Cool for 10 minutes, then place sheet in the fridge to set.
Serves: 8 WWP: 1

7/14: I should make one small change to this recipe. I often take 8 mini pretzels, put them on a piece of parchment paper, put one rolo on top of each of them and then microwave for 45 seconds. I take them out and press 1 pecan half into each treat. Then I refrigerate them for 20 minutes or so. Much quicker than the baking method.

Books I've Read This Year

Here's a list of the books I've read so far this year. I've been meaning to keep a list like this for a while now. After I finish up my to-read books, I think I'll start adding some non-fiction in. Any recommendations?

James Patterson
Alex Cross Series:
Double Cross
Cross
Mary, Mary
London Bridges
The Big Bad Wolf
Four Blind Mice
Violets Are Blue
Roses Are Red
Pop Goes the Weasel
Cat & Mouse
Jack & Jill
Kiss the Girls
Along Came a Spider

James Patterson
Women’s Murder Club series:
7th Heaven
The 6th Target
The 5th Horseman
4th of July
3rd Degree
2nd Chance
1st To Die

Linda Fairstein – Killer Heat
JD Robb - Strangers in Death
Jonathan Kellerman - Compulsion
Mary Higgins Clark - Where Are You Now

Kathy Reichs
Bones to Ashes
Break No Bones
Cross Bones
Monday Mourning
Bare Bones
Grave Secrets
Fatal Voyage
Deadly Decisions
Death du Jour
Deja Dead

Higgins Clark - Where Are You Now

Finished the book last night. I thought the beginning was kind of difficult to follow as she introduced so many characters that didn't seem to go with the story. But after a while I got into it, and I'm glad I finished it.

Maybe I'll check out some of her other books. This is the first one of hers that I've read.

Now to decide which one to read next.

Flowers from the weekend

The favorites...

Patterson - Double Cross

I have now finished all of the Patterson books with the Alex Cross character. I can't wait for the next one to come out. A very good series.
I'm now about 2/3 of the way done with the Mary Higgins Clark book. I'm reading that for book club at work.
So many books...so little free time to read...
Plus I already have new ones to add to the list. However, I've decided to finish the current list up before I add more to it.

Visit to the Cabin

I had a lovely vacation week. The trip to the cabin on Thursday was beautiful. Here are a couple of pictures of the cabin and the surrounding loveliness...

Evanovich - Fearless Fourteen

I checked it out from the library yesterday. "Rented" it...$.25/day. Finished it last night. Fun, quick read. I'd recommend it to all Evanovich fans...read it, maybe don't buy it. Unless you need to own it.

I'm heading back to the library today to rent Patterson's "Double Cross". In the past couple of months I've read all of the others in the series. Hopefully it will be back in today. I want to take it on vacation with me. If not, I'm sure I can read one of the others on my long list.

rj

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I am making nestle toll house cookies to take with on my vacation. A special treat for my dad who loves them...

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.