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Tasty
Creative Meal
Okay, so I have not been in Germany long and the difference in measuring things, i.e. grams and milliliters verses cups and teaspoons has tripped me up…alas, I winged it today. I made a weird version of an open face sandwhich–mixing German and American??
Style:
Pumpernickel Bread
Carrot Sticks
Brown Gravy
Scrambled Eggs with Onions
Tillster Cheese
I srambled some eggs with chopped onions, putting it on pumpernickel bread
Sliced Tillster cheese ontop of the eggs, cover it all with brown gravy
Garnish with carrot sticks.
Result?? An ugly dish that tastes really, really good.
Game Night at Home
Hot tea, Apples and Nutella
Yogurt Dip and vegetables as snack
Thomas and I are playing dominoes
A lovely evening of playing games with my sweetheart. neither of us have played dominoes in years. We had to read the directions on the box and make a practice game or two before getting the hang of it.
Thomas has also ‘discovered’ that he likes apple slices and Nutella (the wonderful chocolate hazelnut creme spread)- I enjoyed this delightful snack before in the U.S.A but Thomas had never heard of the combo before–I think he is now hooked!!!
An Simple Breakfast
Home Made Breakfast
An easy breakfast to dish up–takes under 12 minutes from start to finish.
2 Cups of Old Fashioned Oatmeal
3 cups of cold tap water
a pinch of salt
1/2 Cup of Dried Raisins ( I like to use the purple-dark raisins)
1 TSP of ground Cinnamon
Mix everything together in a pot–cook on medium low heat for 7-9 minutes, if the mix is too thick for you, add a bit more water.
Divide up into bowls, topping with a swirl-drizzle of honey. It is so good and easily made with very common ingredients–can easily be double or tripled or quadrupled for large groups and holiday guests.
I served it with a half slice of toast and half banana this morning for a little extra ‘boost’
Leaving on a jet plane
Packing up the house, putting things in boxes
Wow, so many things have occured over the past week so so.
Moving is always such a large chore but when moving across the ocean, it is even more challenging. Last week, I packed up a few tubs of things I chose to keep but would not be moving with me–and put them in storage (a.k.a. the garage of a family member) and cleaned out the rest of what was in the house I was renting–yes, there were things left over even after the giant yard sale that was hosted last autumn.
My mother came over and helped me host one last hoorah of an indoor yard sale and everything had to go–and it did!!! Now, I am living out of 2 large suitcases–everything in which I am taking to Germany with me fits in those two suitcases–it is kind of scary and liberating at the same time.
I would not consider myself a person whom owned or collected a lot of things but when dumping and shedding the entire contents of your home to move, it is a lot!! Everything from my bed to music cds to pots and pans got sold on the last yard sale–even my coffee pot (and I am a caffeine junkie!!)
The few tubs (like what one would store christmas decorations in) hold photo albums and memorabilia, simple things that are worthless to others but are priceless to me, things I could not bear parting with or replace. Thankfully, I won’t have to pay storage fees or fret about the quality of the safety of the storage as it is with family–blessings come in many forms.
This past week, I spent time with friends and family, which has been super lovely–and then I sold my pickup, my only mode of personal transportation (with no public transporation available.) Why?? Well, I could not pack it, I did not want to store it and some extra money to start my new life is a good idea, right? Rosie, my little red 1996 Ford Ranger, drove me all over the United States and we had many adventures together…
Friday evening, my family hosted a going away party for me, which is always fun. I am going to miss the sound of the laughter of family and friends…alas, there is a bit of sorrow in leaving as well.
Yesterday, I spent the day with family from near and far, for a sad occasion as we all gathered for a funeral–my grandmother passed and the services were held–a time of loss is never easy.
I hitched a ride to Denver with my sister, loading up my 2 suitcases and bookbag into her SUV, feeling a bit overwhelmed with all that has occured this week.
My best friends baby shower–she is expecting her first child in June–and life has come full circle and her adventures as a new mommy are soon to arrive–so much to do and we did it all.
My sister and brother will be taking me to the airport tomorrow morning…so with my ticket in hand and a repacked suitcase (with insistance from my best friend and siblings that I had not packed it correctly).
Thomas is awaiting for my arrival on the other end…here I go.
Making a Plan
The New Year has officially begun….and thus my brain started reeling of all the exciting things that the New Year will hold for me. Daydreaming, I admit, is a ‘bad’ habit I possess; I am guilty in relishing in this habit as well, practicing it often, sometimes daily for hours on end. Whew!!
A fascinating article (5 Important Lessons You’ll Learn About Your Life When You’re Following Your Dreams) has prompted (inspired, encouraged) me to write down, list the things I dream (a.k.a. day dream) about doing…a bucket list of sorts but I am not about to keel over, no worries.
Dreams of Mine
(in no particular order, at this time!)
- Swim with Whales
- Whale Watching off the Coast of Alaska
- Road Trip Across America with Friends
- Niagara Falls
- Dracula’s Castle, Borgoe Pass, Carpathian Mountains, Romania
- Write a Novel
- Plant and Maintain a small Fruit and Nut Orchard
- Soak in the Hot Springs of Iceland
- Marriage and Children
- Build a Garden shed and chicken coop with my own hands
- Make a Quilt from old T-Shirts
- Write and illustrate a children’s book
- Start-own-run a small farm-dairy
- Be Fully Self Employed
- Adopt a Shelter Pet
- Sell an original art piece of mine
- Be a ‘tour guide’ for my family on a fun adventure I designed for them
- See the Heather blooming in the Scottish Highlands in July
- Write a Love Letter, old school style
- Dye My Hair a funky color
- Send a random letter to a person, see if they write back
- Send $10 to a random address, just because
- Write a letter to myself to open in ten years
- Decorate an outside (living) tree for Christmas
- Ride a Bicycle for a whole day ( to run errands, everything!!)
- Attend-Host a fancy tea party, wear a big hat
- Learn to sew (with a machine), make myself something to wear
- Learn to Knit
- Clip Coupons and use them to purchase canned-dried goods to donate to a local food bank in a needy area
- Pay for a strangers meal
- Go to Veterinary School, become a licensed Vet.
- See Fairy Pools, Loch Ness, and Standing Stones in Scotland
- Live in another country
- Go to a Swiss dairy farm
- Learn to play the piano
- Plant-Maintain a perennial herb-vegetable garden
- Ring the Bells (the kind with a dangling rope) in a Church
- Fill my passport with stamps
- Collect 100 smashed souvenir pennies
- Do something nice for someone else
- A Random Act of Kindness
- Purchase land with a home on site
- Fly First Class
- Host a game night at my house
- Adventure to places I have never seen
- Cook a meal for someone
- Practice Cooking
Why not??
Literary Adventures
As the year is winding down and wrapping up, I reflect on how I have spent my time in 2015–and the pages stare back at me, full of wonderous, fulfilling things–between the pages of literature (when I am not working or out and about with enjoying life with other humans)
I am blessed with a long history of reading and share in the delights of a family of readers (which, by the way, really is a super benefit when playing Scattegories–literature provides a whopping amount of double and triple pointers for the game). Books can be costly (oh but they never go out of style and require no batteries, chargers, or updating!!) but oh the wonders of family family book swaps, reading pools, thrift shops, used/second-hand book stores, and the list goes on and on and on–and yet, I continue to seek new material to enjoy, why??
Reading is an adventure–on cold days with a cup of coffee, summer evenings with a glass of iced tea, anywhere anytime. I often find I need to ‘snap back to reality’ when in the midst of a good book as I daydream about the plot, eyes glazed over, and pondering what will happen–even whilst I am out with others; alas, those whom know me well are also great readers and are happily willing to discuss books or anything read, regardless the source.
I stumbled upon this article (I am unsure of the author but here is the link from which it was derived as the author really does deserve due credit) upon the importance of reading.
Why is reading important? It is how we discover new things. Books, magazines and even the Internet are great learning tools which require the ability to read and understand what is read. A person who knows how to read can educate themselves in any area of life they are interested in. We live in an age where we overflow with information, but reading is the main way to take advantage of it.
Reading develops the imagination. TV and computer games have their place, but they are more like amusement. Amusement comes from two words “a” [non] and “muse” [think]. Amusement is non-thinking activities. With reading, a person can go anywhere in the world…or even out of it! They can be a king, or an adventurer, or a princess, or… The possibilities are endless. Non-readers never experience these joys to the same extent.
I can not even being to list all of the books I have read over time–some linger still in the recesses of my mind and other, though good, left a smaller, less powerful impact and thus have been left behind. Here is a list of books I personally recomment reading, although is not inclusive, I have read every one (and they are in no particular order.)
- The Outlander Series, Diana Gabaldon
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All Creatures Great and Small-James Herriot
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All Things Bright and Beautiful-James Herriot
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All Things Wise and Wonderful- James Herriot
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The Lord God Made Them All-James Herriot
- The Book of Secrets–Tom Harper
- The Age of Innocence–Edith Wharton
- Jude, the Obscure-Thomas Hardy
- Dracula–Brahm Stoker
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde–Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Scarlett Letter-Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Treasure Island–Robert Luis Stevenson
- Jane Eyre–Charlotte Brönte
- The Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck
- The Alchemist -Paolo Coehlo
- The Good Earth- Pearl S. Buck
- Cathedral by the Sea-Ildefonso Falcones
- Pillars of the Earth–Ken Follett
- Pride and Prejudice–Jane Austen
- Sense and Sensability-Jane Austen
- Persuasion–Jane Austen
- Tarzan of the Apes–Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Robinson Curusoe–Daniel Defoe
- To Kill a Mockingbird—Harper Lee
- Frankenstein–Mary Shelly
- The Alienist–Caleb Carr
- The Secret Garden–Frances Hodgeson Burnett
- Siddhartha–Herman Hess
- Moby Dick–Herman Melville
- The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Alan Poe
- The Chronicles of Narnia–C.S. Lewis
- Rebecca–Daphne Du Maurier
- The Outsiders–S.E. Hinton
- The Fifth Mountain–Paolo Coehlo
- Leaves of Grass–Walt Whitman
- My Antonia–Willa Cather
- Oh, Pioneer!-Willa Cather
- Pilgrims Progress–John Bunyan
- Shepherd of the Hills–Harold Bell Wright
- Wings of a Dove–Henry James
- The BFG–Roald Dahl
- The Old Man and the Sea–Ernst Hemingway
- Alas, Babylon–P. Frank
- Charlotte’s Web–E.B. White
- Emma–Jane Austen
- Bless Me, Ultima–Rudolfo Anaya
- Like Water for Chocolate–Laura Esquivel
- Running the Iditarod–Gary Paulsen
- World without End-Ken Follett
- Modoc–Ralph Helfer
Top Favorites
Dracula, Brahm Stoker
The Outlander Series Diana Gabaldon
Modoc, Ralph Helfer
A sweetheart sends a note
Dear Anna,
my love, thank you so much for the nice photo you sent me. I am sending you one of me.
Thank you also for your cards, they are nice. I think of you every day and I miss you.
I wish you a very nice Christmas and a happy New Year! Send greetings also to your family and friends and especially to your grandmother.
I hug you and kiss you all over
Yours forever,
Thomas
AJ’s, Orchard, Colorado
Family Night having Dinner at AJ
Enjoying Colorado Raised beef, Prime Rib
Prime rib is always a good idea!!!
Haake and I knew about this place for a while but we discovered recently that it has Prime Rib specials on Friday evenings–and dinner is always more enjoyable with good company.
M. Haake and I love the Prime Rib Fridays at AJ’s In Orchard, Colorado
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AJ’s Corner Tavern 24213 Hwy 39
Weldona, CO 80653 - Phone number 1 (970) 645-9881
Mammoth Lacrosse–Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Colorado Mammoths
Goofy friends with Kevin H.
Friends watching the Mammoth Lacrosse Game at the Pepsi Center, Prive Box, Denver, Colorado
Watching Mammoth Lacross, Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Tanner, Margaret, and Haake enjyoing the game from box seats.
What a fun, wonderful evening!! Friends and family enjoyed a Colorado Mammoths Lacross game and the crowds were roaring!! The skill and agility of the athletes was astounding!!!
