Well, it's almost that time of year again. That 70 degree weather Mother Nature teased us with last week really got me thinking about summer. We had 2 cookouts, well one cookout and one steak and potato salad since and man, I love my recipe for potato salad.
My sister and I tried something out last year for fathers day and it was amazing. We cut the mayo in half and used some sour cream (full fat, the reduced fat is gross). We added garlic powder (or Tastefully simple Garlic Garlic) and salt. Then use a huge amount of dill (the fresh stuff is best but dried dill will be fine). This week I added a bit of lime juice to the mix too and it was delicious.
So, red bliss potatos cooked until tender
drain.
In a separate bowl while the potatos are cooling mix
mayo, sour cream (equal parts- for 5-6 red bliss potatos, use 1 cup each)
salt and pepper to taste
a little bit of lime juice
a bit of garlic powder or garlic/garlic
a ton of dill
This recipe reminds me of the nursery school cookbooks we did when I was 3.
Something I should blog about another time: so cute!
So mix all that up together and add warm potatos. They will absorb some of the flavor as they cool. Oh it's so delicious!
Enjoy and tell me what you think!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Air Dry Laundry
There's something so classic, natural and green about airdrying your clothes!
Scratch & Sniff Stickers
So my son came home from school with some scratch and sniff stickers on his project. While they did not look the same as the ones that I got when I was in school, the smell took me back to my childhood. With a sensitive sniffer, I have this acute appreciation for scratch and sniff. I loved scratch and sniff books when I was a kid. The markers and stickers, mmmm, I have a special place in my heart for those too.
I began investigating scratch & sniff stickers. There's this whole following out there for scratch and sniff stickers, especially the ones from the 80s. I found a great site appreciating Vintage 3M Scratch & Sniff stickers from 1974-1984.
I thought I had a bag full of stickers, and my sticker book, but somehow I've misplaced it. I can't believe that I would have tossed it when I moved, but who knows. (onward and upward) So I thought I would check into how I could acquire some of these yummy scratch and sniff antiques. I found a bunch on ebay: where else right? But some are going for over $3 a piece. Others even more than that! I was shocked. There is also a book, which I purchased, but was very disappointed. It's pretty much a book that they expect you to put your stickers in, printed in black and white as placeholders.
I will be returning it.
They should have made it a scratch and sniff book with color photos, like a Smithsonian special!
Oh well. I will have to smell my sons scratch and sniffers and remember the good ole days through him.
I began investigating scratch & sniff stickers. There's this whole following out there for scratch and sniff stickers, especially the ones from the 80s. I found a great site appreciating Vintage 3M Scratch & Sniff stickers from 1974-1984.
I thought I had a bag full of stickers, and my sticker book, but somehow I've misplaced it. I can't believe that I would have tossed it when I moved, but who knows. (onward and upward) So I thought I would check into how I could acquire some of these yummy scratch and sniff antiques. I found a bunch on ebay: where else right? But some are going for over $3 a piece. Others even more than that! I was shocked. There is also a book, which I purchased, but was very disappointed. It's pretty much a book that they expect you to put your stickers in, printed in black and white as placeholders.
I will be returning it.
They should have made it a scratch and sniff book with color photos, like a Smithsonian special!
Oh well. I will have to smell my sons scratch and sniffers and remember the good ole days through him.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
COLORS!
How I love color! While black is always slimming, and probably looks better on my chubby bones than any other color, I love color on walls. Some are too bold, and anyone who has been in my house knows that there are a few very colorful walls. There is a time and place for every type of color. I love colorful earrings, necklaces, scarves, socks, wallpaper, and STUCCO walls! The textures and designs within some colors just bring out incredible excitement in me.
So what is my favorite color you ask? Well it depends on the day really.
Sometimes it's blue, or a green.
My sister would tell you which pantone was her favorite color, but not me. I like to match colors to something I already know. I would rather say, his hair was like the color of chef boyardee tomato sauce. To me that is more descriptive, but not very professional and most of my friends think I'm crazy.
Where can you find incredible colors? All over the place really.
Light is the most important thing when viewing color and really photographing colors.
Bright light reflects too much off the color and so you won't get deep saturated tones if it's too sunny. Overcast days are best, and if you're taking photos, my former workshop teacher Alison Shaw would tell you to underexpose just a little bit to get the best saturation. (of course there are more tricks to the trade than just that)
The caribbean has a lot of really great colors, and I hear that Puerto Rico has the greatest colors. I've never been there, but it's now on my list of places to visit before I die. That list is getting longer, so I hope I don't expire too soon!
Below are some photos from Nicaragua when I was there at the beginning of the month. Leon is one of the oldest cities in Nicaragua, and the colors of the walls and doors and windows are just amazing. As we drove through I had to cover my eyes because I could not see them all without taking photos. What I should have done was savour the moment. Dummy. I saw enough though, and here are a few when I escaped during lunch. I just fell in love with this vibrant blue door and I had to photograph it for prosperity! Am I crazy?
I once learned from my dear friend Regina that the color that you choose to wear a particular day, or the color that you feel yourself drawn to at a particular moment has something to do with the different chakras in your body. http://www.threeheartscompany.com/chakra.html This website give you the different meanings of the different colors. Apparently, my favorite, blue means
- inability to trust intuition
- scattered mind
- inconsiderate
(info taken from http://threeheartscompany.com/chakra.html#blue)
Now this photo has been my favorite from the trip, and the colors in this particular church really spoke to me while I was there. What an amazing color. It is not quite blue, in the color spectrum, but more indigo and what the indigo chakra represents is very similar to what I was feeling while I was there. It is very inreresting as well.
So still no info on what brown means. I guess it's just a blah day. Oh well, sometimes vacation days are blah!
I'm good with a few blah days here and there. They allow you do to things like BLOG!
To find out more about this cool color website visit the link above. It's really awesome.
So what is my favorite color you ask? Well it depends on the day really.
Sometimes it's blue, or a green.
My sister would tell you which pantone was her favorite color, but not me. I like to match colors to something I already know. I would rather say, his hair was like the color of chef boyardee tomato sauce. To me that is more descriptive, but not very professional and most of my friends think I'm crazy.
Where can you find incredible colors? All over the place really.
Light is the most important thing when viewing color and really photographing colors.
Bright light reflects too much off the color and so you won't get deep saturated tones if it's too sunny. Overcast days are best, and if you're taking photos, my former workshop teacher Alison Shaw would tell you to underexpose just a little bit to get the best saturation. (of course there are more tricks to the trade than just that)
The caribbean has a lot of really great colors, and I hear that Puerto Rico has the greatest colors. I've never been there, but it's now on my list of places to visit before I die. That list is getting longer, so I hope I don't expire too soon!
Below are some photos from Nicaragua when I was there at the beginning of the month. Leon is one of the oldest cities in Nicaragua, and the colors of the walls and doors and windows are just amazing. As we drove through I had to cover my eyes because I could not see them all without taking photos. What I should have done was savour the moment. Dummy. I saw enough though, and here are a few when I escaped during lunch. I just fell in love with this vibrant blue door and I had to photograph it for prosperity! Am I crazy?
Blue is the colour of the spirit and relates to self expression - speech, communication, the ability to communicate our needs and requirements; Spirit of truth and purpose. This is a mentally-relaxing colour. Blue has a pacifying effect on the nervous system and brings great relaxation - ideal for sleep problems, and hyper-active children. Connects us to holistic thought, and gives us wisdom and clarity enhancing communication and speech.
positive aspects of blue
- loyal
negative aspects of blue
- unfaithful
- untrustworthy
- self-righteous
- cold
- untrustworthy
- self-righteous
- cold
(info from http://threeheartscompany.com/chakra.html#blue)
This is really interesting, and I can see how some of it is true. Today I'm wearing brown, what in the Lord's name does that mean. I'm feeling poopy? Ha,
Indigo relates to self responsibility - being responsible for one's own life, responsible to oneself to follow the soul's path and needs and trusting one's own intuition. (the ability to see things from a 'higher' viewpoint rather than purely for satisfaction of the ego or one's material comfort.). The indigo energy connects us to our unconscious self, and gives us the experience of being part of the whole universe. Strengthens intuition, imagination, psychic powers, and increases dream activity.
positive aspects of indigo
- highly intuitive
- faithful
- clear sighted
- integrity
- faithful
- clear sighted
- integrity
negative aspects of indigo
- scattered mind
- inconsiderate
(info taken from http://threeheartscompany.com/chakra.html#blue)
Now this photo has been my favorite from the trip, and the colors in this particular church really spoke to me while I was there. What an amazing color. It is not quite blue, in the color spectrum, but more indigo and what the indigo chakra represents is very similar to what I was feeling while I was there. It is very inreresting as well.
So still no info on what brown means. I guess it's just a blah day. Oh well, sometimes vacation days are blah!
I'm good with a few blah days here and there. They allow you do to things like BLOG!
To find out more about this cool color website visit the link above. It's really awesome.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Smiles
I recently returned from my trip to Nicaragua where I spent nine days on a mission with my church. WOW! What an experience. While I really felt as though I was going to encounter a lot of sadness because of the conditions that they live in there, I actually found the opposite. The people that we met, those we knew and those we didn't know, are so incredibly happy. They are not sad for the things that they do not have in life, they are appreciative of those things that they do have, however small. For them, the small things are big. It was my first realization that there was too much crap in my own life.
The thing that struck me most was the smiles that the children have. I brought tons of lollipops- or bon-bons they're called in Nicaragua. When I encountered children I presented them with a bon-bon. Of course I asked the parents first, they always seemed shocked that I was asking, but here in the states you don't dare present a child with candy without asking their parents first. My own kids, I could care less, they're children and we brush their teeth, but someone elses kids- always ask the mom.
They cherished those bon-bons. Some didn't even know how to open them, I wonder if those children ever had a bon-bon before. Others knew just what to do, but they savored it for forever.
The smiles that the children showed us were like no smiles I've ever seen, except maybe on my daughter. She has a great smile. Her whole face smiles. But the smiles on these children were smiles of love, laughter, hope and happiness.
The thing that struck me most was the smiles that the children have. I brought tons of lollipops- or bon-bons they're called in Nicaragua. When I encountered children I presented them with a bon-bon. Of course I asked the parents first, they always seemed shocked that I was asking, but here in the states you don't dare present a child with candy without asking their parents first. My own kids, I could care less, they're children and we brush their teeth, but someone elses kids- always ask the mom.
They cherished those bon-bons. Some didn't even know how to open them, I wonder if those children ever had a bon-bon before. Others knew just what to do, but they savored it for forever.
Her smile may not be in her mouth, but her smile is in her eyes. Look at those eyes. Aren't they amazing! WOW!
SUPERWOMAN! My smile after
This was my zip-lining trip. the last thing we did before we left for home. It was like being reborn again. flying across the lake it like a bird. I took a deep breath and told myself this was the new beginning. The new beginning of worrying less, taking deeper breaths, and smiling a whole lot more. It's time to appreciate what we have. It's time to love life a little more.
WELCOME!
I'm so excited about my first posting of my new outlook on life!
Devouring Nutella is such a perfect title to my new blog.
If you've ever devoured Nutella, you know what I mean. It's creamy, rich, chocolate and hazelnut!
YUM!
I love to eat it on Strawberries, cherries and yeah, on a spoon.
Pretzels are great too, and I'd welcome any new ways of devouring my favorite treat..... NUTELLA!
I just can't get enough of it!!!!
Devouring Nutella is such a perfect title to my new blog.
If you've ever devoured Nutella, you know what I mean. It's creamy, rich, chocolate and hazelnut!
YUM!
I love to eat it on Strawberries, cherries and yeah, on a spoon.
Pretzels are great too, and I'd welcome any new ways of devouring my favorite treat..... NUTELLA!
I just can't get enough of it!!!!
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