The Goat: January 2009

Picking paint colors

Have you ever had trouble picking paint colors?

What about trying to describe what colors you'd like to have?

I think of this particular scene each and every time I go into a paint store.

This is one of my all time favorite movies. I've probably seen it a dozen times. If it happens to be on TV, the world stops and I sit down and watch it. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) Cary Grant & Myrna Loy. The Money Pit was a remake (sort of) of this movie.

I went on a movie quest one long cold winter and watched as many Cary Grant movies as I could find. I had already been a fan but I felt I needed to see more. It made that particular winter in Coldwater, MI a lot easier to handle. I found that I really did like Cary Grant - Archibald Alexander Leach. There was another movie (comedy) where one of the main characters was named Archibald Leach. Can you name that movie?? I'll post the answer in the comments later today or tomorrow.

Watch this.. it's fun.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Maggie, a plate and books

Even today I catch myself saying "my cats" or "I have two cats" when in actuality I don't have two kitties anymore. I only have one. I got Maggie and Mocha in 1996. A woman came to my sisters garage sale when I happened to be there and I was saying that I wanted to get a cat again. This woman spoke up and said that her litter of kitties were ready to go and if I wanted, I could come by and pick one out.

I first spotted Maggie because the way the black wound around her eyes like a bow. I loved the deep dark coloring that she had. She also clung on to me for dear life when I held her up to make sure she really was a girl. I wanted to take all of the kitties home, that's for sure, but Maggie was my first pick.

I needed to have a sister for Maggie. I wanted two girls. I checked all the other kitties and found three more girls. I looked at them all and there was this one that was scared to death. She kept trying to hide. She was so skittish and I loved her immediately. She was lighter in all of the colors - just as Maggie's colors were rich and dark, this kitty was lighter. I chose her and named her Mocha.

Well, in 2006 our lovable, 28 pound Maggie, who loved Tom with all her heart, died. Tom had his liver transplant Dec of 2005 and he was just starting to be able to be with the kitties again when Maggie died. We'd been through a hell of a year and to lose Maggie was a lot to take in. Everyone knew about how much we loved Maggie and so my friend made this plate to commemorate her. Isn't it beautiful?!!

She made it at one of those paint-your-own-pottery places. On the back she signed her name and put Maggie's name and year. I thought it was such a lovely thing to do for us! She told me right away that she made the plate and I've looked forward to seeing it since that very day.

Last Friday, exactly a week ago today, I received a box of books and the Maggie plate. My friend finally got the commemorative plate mailed to me, that she had lovingly painted 2 years earlier. In a way, I'm glad it took a few years, because now I probably won't burst into tears each time I see it.

I love the plate!! Thanks Bob!!

I also look forward to reading these books, too. My friend is an English teacher and an avid reader, so I'm excited to read what she picked out for me.

Have any of you read any of these books? If so, let me know what you think!

Have a fabulous weekend!
Kristin

Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Pool House

I thought I'd send a little sunshine and warm tropical thoughts to the frozen north and everywhere else. I'm sitting here in Jacksonville, FL right now listening to the rain pouring down, while I'm bundled up under a down blanket. I'm thinking I need some tropical weather! So I pulled out the only thing I have right now -- a painted shed.

Several years ago, in a land far far away, there once was a pool shed that was drab and dingy. The little brown pool shed sat behind a little brown house in the woods with tons of strawberry plants, lots of weeds and just a couple of deer. While doing dishes in the never-been-updated kitchen with the bright blue laminate countertops, the focal point of the backyard was the pool and the little drab pool house.

Then one day Kristin discovered the paintings of Thomas McKnight and she had an idea! Why not ask her very talented sister, Alison, to come and put a little pizazz on that pool shed. So we poured through the McKnight book that I had and picked out a few paintings that we liked and Alison merged them all together into one picture. One really incredible picture.

I really wanted to have a porch in the painting. I love how McKnight puts the viewer in one space and then with the use of columns or windows he frames out a completely unique space on the other side. Alison married these things beautifully on this odd shaped building.

I loved watching her work. She is the only one in our family that has painting and drawing talents, so watching her is always fascinating.

Wouldn't you just love to sit on that porch, with all of that beautiful molding around the windows and the fancy scroll work framing each view. ...and look at the fancy molding in the ceiling area of the porch...so cool.

Doesn't it look like you are standing on the porch, looking over the pool of that grand mansion in the background? When I was inside doing dishes in the winter time, this gorgeous work of art shined like a beacon out from the sea of white. I loved this pool shed from the very day she started on it.

I also enjoyed having my sister come visit every day for a week or so. I lived about 30 miles away from her, so her visits were a lot of fun. My husband who is quite the sandwich maker, would make her these fabulous lunches as I recall. I know we used as much leftover paint from our projects around the house as possible and Alison also went bargain shopping at the Home Depot for Ooops Paint (paint that was the wrong color for a particular customer - and rather than toss it, they sell it for cheap - $1-$5 usually.) When she was all finished, I put on 4 or 5 coats of polyurethane to keep it from chipping and peeling.

I couldn't find any real close-ups of the pool house - so you can't really see that there is a boom box on one of the blankets and that the straw hat is just identical to the little straw hats that McKnight had in so many of his paintings.

I am fortunate to own two McKnights - they are Serigraphs, not actual paintings. One of those my husband bought for me in Chicago one year and we hauled it all the way back home on the train.

Anyway, having a painting in my backyard was great. I hated that I had to leave it behind when we sold that house. The new owners loved it though - and the wife, I remember, said that it was the deciding factor on buying the place. Thanks goodness something was a deciding factor because it sure wasn't that kitchen!

If you are interested in contacting my sister for some custom artwork, let me know!

Have a fabulous day!
Kristin

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

WFMW - personalized Sharpies

Welcome to another edition of Works for Me Wednesday. If you've been here before you know - this is a blog carnival where hundreds of bloggers participate by posting one of their helpful hints to make all of our lives easier or a bit more fun. Shannon (Rocks in my Dryer), the host of this carnival, is giving tips for Moms whos kids are in sports. So please go to Rocks in my Dryer and see what tips you might find helpful - and please leave a comment for me as well!

One of my very favorite things to write with is a Sharpie. I write cards with Sharpies, envelopes, packages, lists on Post-It notes, nearly everything that requires writing, I write it out with a Sharpie.

My love of Sharpies has caused me to purchase more Sharpies than I needed and consequently, I put on my list of 101 Things to do in 1001 days, that I was not to purchase any Sharpies for a whole year! It was so hard to do - I was surprised. My year was up the middle of January 2009 and I'm happy to report that I did not purchase a single Sharpie. I still have not purchased any because I got so many for Christmas!! I got clickable fat ones, and clickable thin lined ones (that I had never seen before!) and I got personalized ones.

My sister purchased these personalized Sharpies for me from the Sharpie Store online --Click Here for your own Personalized Sharpies. Why does this work for me? ...because it is such a great, unique gift that even those that aren't all Sharpie crazy like me, would be thrilled to receive. They are $12 for 6.

What also works for me -- tell people what you want and chances are real good you will receive it. I blogged of my love for Sharpies and I received 4 packages of multicolored ones and then a dozen personalized ones on top of that from all sorts of people. I've decided to extend that no Sharpie purchases for another year because I've received so many.

Thanks everyone!! I've loved my gift more than you will ever know. I show off my personalized sharpies all the time and this weekend I was able to stop someone from taking my Sharpie when I pointed out that it had my name on it.

Hope you enjoyed this tip - it would make a fun Easter gift, wedding, baby shower or bridal shower gift. Now check out the other tips at Rocks in my Dryer.

Have a Great Day!
Kristin

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Kristin & Steve 2009

Here are just some fun photos from our lunch on Saturday. Actually, it was our breakfast, but since it was nearly 1pm, we'll just call it lunch.

Here is the new photo of Steve and I - I'll just add it to our "Through The Years" photos - I cut out Kalao in the first one -- but allowed him to stay in this second one here.

We were sitting at the FoxCafe on Ocean Blvd. in South Beach. I'm not sure where exactly this cafe located - but maybe in the 800 or 900 block of Ocean.

This was Steve's lunch. Doesn't it look gorgeous?!! It was salmon with asparagus and rice and of course a little hollandaise sauce. I thought putting the rice in the cups of radicchio leaves made the whole dish look fabulous. I had a steak salad and Kalao had a bowl of soup and a greek salad. Ours looked good but Steve's was exceptional. All of us ate every bite of food.

This was the big draw to this restaurant. All of the drinks were Two-for-One. HOWEVER, Steve was the only one who wanted a drink! This is Steve with his Mojito. He said it was one of the best ones he's ever had. I wouldn't know, I've never had one. He convinced the woman sitting next to us to order a Mojito - she did and she didn't care much for it. I wouldn't have felt too bad about it, except that we found out, too late, that each drink was $30! Who has a Thirty Dollar Drink? Goodness! But she drank her $30 drink and by the end of it she thought it wasn't half bad. LOL Remember I said the drinks were Two-for-One? In South Beach you can get alcohol drinks to go - so thankfully Steve was able to take the second one with us and sip on it for the rest of the afternoon.

That drink, by the way, really is that giant.

I left my sunglasses in the car, that was given to the Valet at the hotel, that I wasn't planning on getting out again until Sunday - so Steve gave me a pair of his sunglasses to use for the weekend. I would never normally wear anything this wild and crazy. But I was with a bunch of goofy boys in a beachy town - no one even noticed.

Hope you have enjoyed the trip, I know I did!

Kristin

Monday, January 26, 2009

South Beach scenes

Here are the few photos I have of the architecture of South Beach, FL.

I love the colors, the bold stripes on the buildings, the shapes and sights and sounds.

I love all of the pink buildings. It is just so cool that a house or a hotel can be pink and no one really thinks it looks out of place. It just fits down there.

I thought the brand new sign in the old style looked fabulous. I stopped in the middle of the road just to get that palm tree in the photo just like that. The things people do for a good photo. Good thing Steve was with me so he could take the hit from the car first! (Oh Steve, I'm kidding - you were totally on the sidewalk!)

I want a fence like this. It would need to be painted every year...I may have to hire that out.

Tomorrow - Pictures of Steve and I.

25 Random Things about Me

25 Random Things About Me

25. I must read aloud when in an instant message chat with someone. When my husband is home, I do it very quietly.

24. I really enjoy writing letters.

23. I don't use my dishwasher because I love to wash dishes by hand.

22. In Kindergarten my teacher wrote on a progress report that I was always afraid no one liked me. I still think that way.

21. My online persona, Kirby... everyone likes her.

20. I don't like going to bed because I'm afraid I'll miss something, but I love napping.

19. I love going to hotels.

18. I have my sisters name tag from Macy's on my fridge.

17. I do not own a pair of flip flops.

16. I really like writing and think I could be a writer, but I don' t understand English grammar.

15. I don't like the sound of the ocean or running water (like a fountain.)

14. I love to quote movie lines. "The Jerk" is one of my all time favorite quotable movies.

13. I don't know my right from left unless I think of it in terms of driving and turning right or getting into the left-hand-turn lane.

12. I like to read True Crime books

11. I really dislike getting wet. This includes showers.

10. Buying clothes, shoes or purses are real low on my list of things to buy -- Office supplies are so much more fun!

9. I own three pair of shoes, two are tennis shoes.

8. Clowns freak me out.

7. I like to look for and collect bicentennial quarters because they remind me of my Grandpa Corlett.

6. My favorite dishes are the pottery bowls that I have collected from various art fairs, vacation spots, pottery guild sales or local shops.

5. I read billboards, signs and other assorted printed material in the wrong order. I also read things too quickly and add in my own words - for example thinking the Michigan Dyslexic Institute was the Mexican Dyslexic Institute.

4. Wearing a hat gives me a headache almost instantly.

3. I like to drink chocolate milk with three ice cubes.

2. I laugh every single day. Most of the time I do something goofy that makes me laugh.

1. I love to watch the same movie over and over again. I have a rotation of about 10 movies that I would rather watch than about anything else. They are of course, all romantic comedies. (I am watching Music & Lyrics while writing this)

I wrote this for FaceBook, but decided I should post it here, too. I tried not to put anything on this list that I had already posted in my blog -- so that means I couldn't write about my love of the number 22, the time 11:11 or that I loved Sharpies and Post-It notes. I actually wanted to fill up the whole post with things about my family -- so I will have to write up another post titled "25 Random Things that I Love about My Family."

Enjoy!
Kristin

Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Cavalier

No pictures today - Turns out most of the pictures were on my friends cameras! I totally forgot about that - so tomorrow I'll have to see what I actually took.

The Cavalier Hotel in South Beach, FL was a lot of fun, although we had probably one of the most undesirable rooms. Our room faced the garbage and the delivery ramp for the hotel next door. (we decided to just keep the curtain shut.) I stayed up so late the two nights we were there, that I can't honestly say if the beds were comfortable or not...I just crashed. The neat thing about South Beach is that there are about a hundred restaurants - at least one per hotel - on Ocean Drive. We would walk and walk and walk trying to decide which of these incredible looking restaurants we were going to choose. We never picked a bad one. Our hotel was no different, the restaurant was great, the staff was awesome, and according to all of the people that I was there with - the drinks were good. We spent hours on the patio of the Cavalier. For the boys that I was hanging out with, Cocktail Hour was important and took up about 5 hours of the day! Two hours in the early afternoon and three hours in the evening. However, we laughed and talked and laughed and told stories and listened to stories and laughed some more.

I have never stayed in one of those old Art Deco hotels before, so this was a real treat. I loved walking up and down the road looking at all of the architecture, seeing the beautiful lights and enjoying the weather!! Goodness, it was so nice to be in warm weather. I'm glad I got the opportunity to go and spend time with Steve (and all of his friends -- Kalaho, Craig, James, Peter, Jet, Junior and Tim.)

Have a great week!
Kristin

EDITED: I forgot to mention - the last meal that Steve and I had together...the bill was $22.22

Saturday, January 24, 2009

South Beach

I am in South Beach, FL -- wow what a place. Two years ago, the very first time I visited, it was cold and rainy. I was shivering. My friend Steve had just been on a week long cruise and was exhausted - so mostly what he wanted to do was sleep. We sat and chatted that trip and I did enjoy his company - but the timing was all off.

This time around, he's going on yet another cruise, but I'm seeing him before the trip. The weather is just gorgeous, we went to the beach today, and moments ago I sitting in front of the hotel with a bunch of his friends listening to their stories and laughing up a storm. We have just had a blast.

I will have some photos tomorrow!
Kristin

Friday, January 23, 2009

Kristin and Steve

I'm going to visit my friend Steve today. He's taking a cruise out of Miami, so he decided to come a few days early so we could meet up and hang out a bit. Steve has been my best friend since I met him in 1983. He signed up to be part of the stage crew for our High School Musical, "Hello Dolly" and I was part of the chorus that year. He had just transferred into our school, so he was very lucky to have met me right away!

I am a year older than him, so I had the honor of graduating from High School before him. He managed to get several degrees after HS to totally surpass this event -- but I've got a picture of me being first, so ha! LOL

Steve's family lived in Michigan for quite a few years, so we would see each other quite a bit when the holidays rolled around, even though he moved to California. This picture was taken at his brothers wedding - Steve's hair was all one length, way past his shoulders as I recall. It was quite a look! He's gone back to short hair again. It suits him.

Now that I have moved to Florida, it has been a bit more difficult to see each other while we are already on a scheduled trip. However, I've gone out to Santa Cruz several times to visit him and I've even taken Ingrid out there to meet him. I'd say we see each other about every two years, give or take a year. Two years ago Steve went on another cruise, out of Miami and I drove down after his cruise to see him. He was so worn out from all of his late night dancing that I'm thinking we'll have more fun together this time around when I see him before he parties for a week.

I'm leaving today and come back on Sunday. It should be a total riot.

I love you Steve! We're going on 26 years of friendship.
Kristin

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Ward

I'm a Ward Burton fan. I am! He hasn't even driven a NASCAR Cup car in a few years - heck he hasn't even driven the #22 Caterpillar car in more than 6 years. But my favorite number is 22 (which if you have been around long enough is 11:11 in my book LOL), I still get a little thrill whenever I see CAT equipment or anything Caterpillar for that matter.

My friend, JB (aka Bob,) found a post card in her Aunts mailbox one day that said that Ward Burton was going to be appearing at a Certainteed Shingle factory in Norwood, MA in about a week. She knew of my Ward obsession and picked up the phone and called me. She was so excited. After she told me, I was totally there.

The following week I loaded up my car and drove about 800 miles to meet up with JB and her sister in Norwood, MA. The event was a lot of fun actually. Ward arrived on time, he gave a little talk (I was in the front row smiling like crazy) and when it came time for questions and answers I had a question... He had broken one of his winning trophies and I asked if he had gotten it repaired - he told me no...that his wife has it propped up in the corner of a cabinet.

Then we had a photo session. Everyone who wanted to could go up, shake Wards hand and get a Polaroid photo as well as a signed postcard (above) and a few other goodies.

I was one of those annoying fans and I wanted to be close as possible to him, so I stood right by his side rather than standing back and putting out my hand. He later told JB, her sister and I not to spend too much time in the pubs. It was so funny.

A couple of days later I got this letter thanking me for coming but also to let me me know how much he loves the Certainteed shingles he put on his own home.

This was such a fun impromptu roadtrip. I got to meet my favorite driver in a fairly small venue - there were just a hundred people there...that's hardly anyone in comparison to the crowds that come to the speedways. It was also a lot of fun to spend that day with my friends.

I have been mourning the loss of NASCAR in my life. Tom and I used to live in Daytona Beach - the home of speed. We used to live in a community where race car drivers lived. I was a little part of the NASCAR community and it was a lot of fun. Now that we have moved to Jacksonville, now that Ward is no longer driving, now that my life is different I haven't watched a single race from beginning to end in almost 2 years.

On NASCAR.com they have a countdown to Daytona. I'm not sure if that's the beginning of Speedweeks or not, but I love Daytona Beach during Speedweeks. It's electric. I hope to go to another race again, but it just isn't the same without being able to root for Ward.

Have a fabulous weekend!
Kristin

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

WFMW - Newspaper clipping

Welcome to another edition of Works for Me Wednesday. Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer is talking about how to clean a pan that has burnt on food in it. Her remedy for this problem is one that I told my own mother about when I was in High School. I was a cleaning fanatic then, too. A few hundreds tips can be found at Shannon's so check out my tip, leave me a comment and then POP over and see what else is cookin' at Rocks in My Dryer.

I found a newspaper clipping the other day that I wanted to send to my mother. It was actually her brother's obituary from 1979. Her's had been pasted into one of those sticky albums at the time and trying to get it out of there would just tear it to pieces. The obit that I found in my stash of papers was still flat and pretty well preserved, amazingly. I decided to send it to her, since I had scanned it, I really didn't need to keep the actual clipping. To get this fragile piece of paper to her in as good condition that's possible through the postal service can be quite tricky...so here's what I came up with.

1. Newspaper clipping
2. Magazine
3. Post-It note
4. Tyvek mailer

Take the newspaper clipping and put it into the middle of a magazine that you think your recipient just might like to read. I found a fairly thin magazine here at my house about outdoor spaces. I live in a condo now, so I don't need this magazine anymore. Place a Post-It note on the page where you have placed the clipping. Make sure it sticks out over the top of the page, so it's easy to see. Place magazine, with the newspaper clipping into a tyvek mailer or any other flat mailer that won't get damaged if it gets a little damp from rain or snow. Address, stamp and send! Be sure to send this first class. You want to make sure it gets handled fairly gently...but the whole reason for putting the clipping in a magazine is that the magazine can be bent and rolled without doing any damage to the clipping. All those pages keep that paper nice and safe.

I know that they sell those photo mailers or you could put cardboard in an envelope, but I really think the magazine idea will work fabulously with very little additional cost if you don't have to purchase a new magazine.

Mom, the clipping will be on its way by the end of the week!

Have a great day!
Kristin

Edited to add...Mailed! I mailed it this afternoon.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Ingrid

I have a friend named Ingrid that I met in 1983 when I went on a trip to Scandinavia. I went with the Blue Lake Fine Arts group - the Choral section. There were about 250 of us I think. We had a band, orchestra and the choir. The choir consisted of just 43 of us. The Band and the Orchestra traveled together I think, but the choir was all on its own. I loved it.

We left from Detroit, refueled in Bangor, Maine and then flew over to Stockholm, Sweden. We were to stay in 9 cities in 28 days. I remember most of those cities and most of the faces of the people we stayed with, but the one family that I fell in love with within seconds was Ingrid and her family.

Ingrid.

I love her so much.

She is a few years younger than me and when we first met, she held my hand and for the next 5 days she hardly let go. She called me her sister after the first evening. We've been sisters ever since.

I have a rather large box that is just full of letters from Ingrid. They date back to 1983. We have always written letters. We tried email about 10 years ago and it was actually a bad thing. It just didn't work. It was too hurried, too impersonal, too something. We actually stopped writing or emailing for years after our first attempts at emailing. We just lost the groove.

She got married. She had a baby almost 5 years ago and she had another baby in October. They are almost exactly the same age as my nieces! She now lives in the Canary Islands. Her husband is German, she is Norwegian, neither one of them spoke the others native language. By the time I got my first letter after she was married, I could hardly read her English anymore. She and her husband had totally started making stuff up! lol Since I can't read or speak Norwegian, I only laughed a little lol

This Christmas Ingrid sent a card, with of course a wonderful letter and a picture of her and the babies. I had sent her one the morning before I received hers, so that was fun. But today I sat down and read some of her letters from the past. I was so excited to talk to her again through letters...so I wrote to her again today. I wrote and wrote and wrote. I included some photos of me and my nieces and I'll probably include some of the photos that she has sent me in the past, just to show her husband if nothing else.

I love writing letters and I'm very happy to have Ingrid's address again. Ingrid and I just can't do email. It isn't us. I don't have to be embarrassed about it either. I used to think there was something wrong with us that we couldn't keep a friendship through email - but now I realize that what we were missing was our physical connection. The pen and the paper and the stamps were all physical, personal items. Norway (or now, the Canary Islands) and the United States are just a fair amount apart. We need the physical to keep us close.

I'll share pictures of my trip and Ingrid in an upcoming post.

My question for you is... Do you have someone that you need to connect with and just can't seem to do it through email?

Kristin

Monday, January 19, 2009

Turkey Salad

This has become one of my favorite meals. I have never been a big fan of Turkey salad or chicken salad. It always tasted like a tin can or it was so creamy squishy that it was more like tuna salad than anything chicken or turkey related.

Then one day when I went home (to Michigan) I was going through "Foods For Living" a healthy foods type of grocery store, and I came across the prepackaged foods section. These were foods that were made and packaged right there inside the store. The turkey salad looked wonderful! Nice big chunks of turkey. Fresh looking celery. Dots of beautiful red and surrounded in mayo. I love mayo. (NBU people, just turn away from the Mayo comment, please.)

After eating the most delicious turkey salad I had ever had, I looked at the ingredients. Turkey, celery, red onions, dried cranberries, walnuts, salt and pepper. I wrote them down. I kid you not. I took out my post-it pad from purse, grabbed a sharpie (also from my purse) and wrote down those incredible ingredients to take home with me.

I now make the BEST turkey salad ever. In this bowl you will find turkey cubes (that I got from the freezer because we didn't have any fresh turkey or chicken today.) I should have drained the turkey a bit, since it was frozen, but it's still great.

OK, so turkey cubes (about 1½ cups of cubed turkey), 1 cup of chopped celery and ½ cup of chopped onion. I use vidalia onions when I can get them, but the sweetest onions possible would be best. We've used green onions before and I didn't like it as well.

Next I chop up about ½ cup of walnuts and if I was taking this to a party or something, I'd add in a full cup of dried cranberries. Now that I have diabetes, the cranberries do a number on my blood sugar readings, so I just have a few and save the rest for my husband. But don't skimp on the cranberries if you can help it, they really make the salad.

Next you need to give this salad a little black pepper. Now if you are a family member reading this, I do actually hold the pepper grinder over this salad and give it a few turns. It absolutely needs it. White pepper doesn't even seem to do the trick. (I don't like pepper in any form, but my father taught the family to trick me with white pepper, so I couldn't see it to pick it out! - but now I even do it to myself) However, you have to have black pepper. Normally I don't salt this salad at all, but that's because I don't use salt much anymore, but my husband, would salt this.

I put in as little mayo as possible and stir and stir and stir until everything is coated. I used probably a ¼ cup. My husband would have used an entire cup. The turkey was a little wet (because of it being previously frozen) so my mayo went a long way this time.

I served it up on this tiny little condiment dish and had to take a picture of it. Then I ate it. I usually like to let the flavors marry for a few hours in the fridge before I have any though - so make this early in the day so you can eat it for lunch.

I usually grab a huge handful of butter lettuce from the fridge, toss in a nice spoonful of the turkey salad and wash it all down with a nice glass of water.

One could almost imagine summer.

Kristin

We buy a whole turkey or just a turkey brest and cook that for a meal - the leftovers get cubed and saved for turkey salad. When I make this using chicken, I usually buy a bunch of chicken breast, cook them all up and once again, whatever is left over from supper, gets made into heaven.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Clean it up

For some reason my countertop in my bathroom has started attracting more and more stuff. First it was just the vitamins and lotion, then a box of hand soap, then one day I needed to use the peroxide and the day before this little intervention, I had used the curling iron. It was the day that I did my photo shoot.

I woke up the next morning and let out an audible gasp when I walked into the bathroom. So I grabbed my camera, took a shot and spent the next 15 minutes cleaning the bathroom. I even went through the two drawers in the cabinet and overhauled those as well.

Of course I cleaned the sink, the toilet, the floors and mirrors while I was there. Can you sigh now? That sigh of relief? Yep, I did a big sigh too. Normally I would put the lotion away as well, but I've been using it several times a day since it's been out, so I'll keep it out until Florida decided to warm back up. I got a nice watch/bracelet for Christmas and I've been wanting to wear it, so setting it on the counter has helped me remember to slip it on. In a few weeks I'll stick it back in the drawer and hopefully I will have gotten used to wearing it by then.

The little white basket thing on the back of the tank is a woven basket from IKEA. It perfectly holds a box of kleenex. I love it. I've never had a kleenex box holder before - I've just always had the marbled box sitting on the tank - but I love the basket.

I was surprised how little time it actually took to clean up the bathroom - it was just stuff sitting out, not anything gooey or anything - so I just put stuff back where it once belonged. It's been a week, and the counter looks exactly the same, although I bet it needs a dusting in the corners.

Hope you are having a great Sunday (or Monday or Tuesday or or or)
Kristin

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Changes

The world is full of changes. Every day something is different and yet I know most of us go kicking and screaming into each change, not wanting to give up the familiar.

We will have a new President in a few days, a friend of mine lost his grandmother, the bitter cold is making people change their weekend plans, the meat in the fridge didn't get cooked before it went bad. Children learn to tie their shoes, the handle on the toilet just broke and the car got a flat.

Unexpected change and gradual change. Sometimes relationships change, seemingly overnight, but it's usually a gradual change. Evolution. Would you really want to go back to your early twenties or your teens and have those same relationships?! Oh dear. I'm so glad that I am not tied to every sight, sound and thought of my true-love-of-the-day anymore. It was exhausting.

Gradually we all shift and move to accommodate new feelings, new ways of being, new ways of thinking. The change is so gradual that it is only upon looking back that we see how far we've come.

I'm still thinking about this New Year, 2009. Still thinking about what changes I want to make - what I want to force myself, kicking and screaming, into doing to improve my life, my health, my education, my creative spirit, my volunteer activities, everything. ...because although I want changes, I will resist.

Are you forcing a change?
Kristin

Friday, January 16, 2009

Cafe Mattise

On the third day of our voyage on the Carnival Ship Fascination we docked in Nassau, Bahamas. This was the place where we took the carriage ride. It was warm and sunny. Oh so warm! It is getting into the teens tonight here in Jacksonville, FL. I am wishing for a little bit of these sunny rays.

For all of you that are in the deep freeze up north -- Pretend these green palms are in your backyard - with the sun shining down warming you from head to toe.

Pretend you are eating a nice Italian dinner (or lunch) at Cafe Mattise in the Bahamas. These lovely palms are over your head - the purple flowers of the
Bougainvillea tree. A soft breeze of warm air rustling the palm fronds.

Enjoy a nice summer day.

Kristin

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Funny Photos

I was thinking about what I wanted to write this evening and nothing was coming to mind. I've just been running around town, going to my support group meeting, writing for another site, editing pictures, grocery shopping - you know, the usual. So I decided to just let my mind wander (and go through my photos) and see what caught my eye.

A few of my family members all of whom have a defect where their arm is attached to their heads. LOL I've never ever seen this condition in other families.

This is my grandfather. I'd like to know how he got that massive rock on the bottom of his feet! ...and how he managed to stand back up again without bonking his head LOL

and I will leave you today with a picture from 1969 or 1970. I was 3 or 4. I love the shag haircuts. LOVE IT!

I hope you enjoyed the lighthearted post for today. Have a fabulous day!
Kristin

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

WFMW - Donate Life

Welcome to another fabulous edition of Works for me Wednesday, hosted by Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer. It is only 2pm here on the East Coast and already over 200 people have added in their tips this week. So after you read my tip (and leave a comment!) please head on over to Rocks in my Dryer and get lots of other fabulous tips and ideas.

Those of you who read my blog regularly probably know that my husband's life was saved because of a liver transplant. This was only made possible through the generous gift of life that a family gave after the passing of their loved one. It seems like a scary thing to talk about but it really isn't. Usually when you go in to get your drivers license renewed you can check that little box that says you'd like to be an organ donor. This is the typical way of doing things, but if your family doesn't know of your wishes, they may not want to agree to donation. Just because you have checked that box, it doesn't mean it is going to happen. You need to tell your family and friends that you want to give the gift of life after your death. Making your wishes known will make the decision so much easier on your family if they should ever have to make that decision. You can learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation at the Donate Life America website.

I work with transplant patients now at the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic and I watch as these folks wait and wait for the perfect match. We have been blessed already this year and three of our friends have already received their life saving organ transplant. One gentleman, my tenant, has been waiting for almost 9 years...but only one year of that here at the Mayo Clinic.

I have been an organ donor since the second I got my drivers license, but I have always wanted to be a donor. Little did I know then that my life would be so connected to the process. I can't even imagine how a small child would know about organ donation, but I did. Getting my drivers license, when I turned 16, was truly exciting, but I remember making sure to ask about the organ donation. It was going to be official now...I was an organ donor. It was there, at the licensing office, that I learned that the drivers license decal (that was what we had at the time) didn't guarantee donation. My family knew then and they know now. I just hope that when my time comes I will be able to give someone the gift of life or sight - this type of gift Works for Me!

Thanks for stopping by and please visit the Donate Life website to learn more.
Kristin

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

More Secret Scrolls

Here is the last installment of The Secret page-a-day calendar quotes from 2008. I saved these as long as I could! I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

To become more aware of your thoughts, you can set the intention "I am the master of my thoughts." Say it often, give thanks for its being done, and as you hold to it emphatically, by the law of attraction you must become that.

You can create anything you want, but to do that you must follow the principles of the law. Eliminate all doubt and replace it with the full expectation that you will receive what you are asking for. If you are not receiving what you are asking for, it is not the law that has failed. It means that your doubt is greater than your faith.

Every single person is using The Secret (the law of attraction) in every moment of their life, whether they are aware of it or not. The law of attraction is impersonal and is unfailingly matching like energy frequencies. There is no time when this law is not operating, just like gravity. The difference is that when you understand this magnificent law and how it works, you can begin to use it intentionally to create the life of your dreams.

Do you think you can? You can achieve and do anything you want with this knowledge. In the past you may have underestimated how brilliant you are. Well, now you know you are the Supreme Mind and that you can draw anything you want from that One Supreme Mind. Any invention, any inspiration, any answer, anything. You can do anything you want. You are a genius beyond description. So start telling yourself that and become aware of who you really are.

Every word you speak has immense power, because it is a thought in action. There is an invincible power in every word you speak! You are a human being filled with unlimited possibilities, and the words you speak can either build a jail around you where you see only limitations, or they can set you free to live your life without any limits. Listen to the words that you speak and you will find every limitation you have ever experienced revealed to you. Change your words and you will change your life!

Have a great week!
Kristin

Monday, January 12, 2009

Corral the curling iron

What are these strange contraptions, I bet you are saying... Well, let me tell you.

The items encased in plastic are my curling irons. I don't use them very often, so to keep them from getting dusty I put them in the plastic sleeves.

The main reason I wanted to use the sleeve was because of the brush style curling iron. It seemed like no matter where I put it, in my bathroom, something got stuck to it. It was a magnet for rubber bands, lint, thread, kitty fur and necklaces.

I purchased some fabric roller shades a few years back and they came in these nifty plastic sleeves. They plastic was really thick and one end had a zipper. I tried all day to figure out what to use those fancy zippered sleeves for, when it occurred to me! I'd cut the sleeve in half and store my curling irons in them. That was just the perfect solution.

The only drawback is that I can't place the irons in the sleeves until they are completely cooled. I could have used an oven mitt I supposed if I wanted to store then while they were still hot - but the great thing about the plastic is that I can see what's in there. I will forget that I have curling irons if I can't see them. If I had some lovely fabric covering up these irons, I'd have a whole basket of them because I'd buy more, thinking I didn't own any.

This is certainly a great Make Do Mondays post - because instead of going out and buying something to put my curling irons in, I made do with what I had in my home. I've also saved myself additional moneys in not purchasing any more curling irons because I can see what I already own and can remember that it's there. (Maybe if I curled my hair more often, I'd remember!)

Please go visit Ann Kroeker for more Make Do Monday ideas. She's talking about her Crock Pot today.

Thanks!
Kristin

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Digital Photography

I am totally in love with digital photography. I'm such a novice when it comes to composition, lighting and even subject matter that being able to take 10 pictures of the same thing comes in real handy. Like yesterday, for example, when I took 30 or so pictures of myself just to get two that were great.

I've used my digital camera to help me remember my license plate number when I've needed to check into a hotel and I've used the camera to take pictures of my To Do list when I've needed to run many errands and didn't want to take the list with me. The last time I went to IKEA, the parking lot was so full that I took a picture of my section, so I wouldn't forget where I parked.

I have a Blackberry (with camera) now and I have that with me all the time but I also have my camera too - so I haven't been using the Blackberry for these uses yet, but I'm sure as I get more and more comfortable with the features of the phone, I will use it more and more.

I went to this website called Vagabondish and found some really clever tips for using your digital camera while Traveling. I have to admit that I use my Blackberry light as a light to get to my bed at night. That is just one of the 12 tips. Go ahead, take a look. They have some great ideas. I would have never thought of them.

Have a wonderful week!
Kristin

Saturday, January 31, 2009