Writing and Spaghetti

      Sooooooooooo .... I have been a  looooooooong hiatus from writing. However, these past couple months, I have filmed two movies, and on  the flight home, was inspired to start really writing again. Something about being up in the clouds, just makes me not able to not write. It was marvelous! Not only am I working on the second novel in a set of three I plan to finish, but I have two new ingenious ideas for two totally different books.
      My stories are for me. If other people, someday, get the change to read them, then even better. If not, then no loss.

     As for spaghetti, I have a wonderful recipe I make from scratch, that I am going to get around to posting one of these days. I have pictures from the last batch I made, but I think I want to take new pictures this summer, when I make it again. Although, I may just end up posting it.

GRILLED PEANUT BUTTER!!

Just OMG YUM! 

Make peanut butter sandwich with banana. Drizzle honey and sprinkle cinnamon over bananas. Butter outside of sandwich and grill like a grilled cheese. So yum!

Unwrapped Tzatziki Salad

Love eating wraps, but I don't always like the mess of them (I may be guilty of over-stuffing). Also they aren't easy to take for lunch sometimes. So I started eating unwrapped salad.






Cucumber
Sweet red pepper
Romaine lettuce
Avocado
Spinach wraps
Tzatziki sauce
Cayenne pepper

 

I like my veggies all cut up into nice little cub-y pieces. :) 

Then mix-y mix-y mix-y. YUM!

"Run Away, Run Away, Run Away From The Stench And The Trenches"

Title from "Run Away - Monty Python's Spamalot"

So, I have decided to actually START the Couch-to-5K. I'm loving it and hating it. The weather has gotten cold ... well some days are FREEZING while other days are warm. Today was warm and I made the mistake of wearing a fall sweater. But the other day it was colder than it seemed and I just about perished in my t-shirt.

Despite some minor setbacks last week, I have moved on to my second week of the program. I found some free podcasts that talk you through the intervals (with music and stuff). So, I'm really hoping I can get back into the swing of being active again. I used to run all the time and loved it, and then with my accident and ankle surgery, I just stopped everything. So, now my plan is to get back in shape, and lose the weight I put on since my surgery (YEARS ago).

I'm a little worried about the running though. Winter in fast approaching, and the 9 week program will most probably run into snow. AND, since I don't want to throw away 9 weeks of work, I'll have to keep running through the winter, which is going to be hard to do this year. Being out in the country, while all the big trucks are out here working on a project, leaves the roads not the safest to run on in good weather ... I'm not going to think about it now. I'll deal when the time comes.

Hodge Podge & Leaf Lettuce Salad!

We drove out to the country store, and bought some nice fresh veggies from the farmers today, to make Hodge Podge with Leaf Lettuce Salad. OMG GOOOOOOD!

First you wash all the veggies, snap the ends of then green beans & break them in two, dry the lettuce, peel the carrots, scrape the peeling off the potatoes (not peel ... and sometimes, depending on the potato, leave the peeling on).

Put the dried off lettuce in a big bowl with a piece of bread; cover and put in fridge. The bread helps to keep the lettuce crisp.
Cook all the veggies (expect the lettuce & chives) in the same pot. Let the water boil off until about half (or more) of it's gone. Add enough milk to completely cover everything. Continue to simmer.

For the salad, rip up the leaf lettuce (other kinds of lettuce just aren't the same). Add the chopped up chives, sour cream and salt. Simple as that. (Salt to taste.)
This meal is fabulous when the veggies are all small and coming up all new and fresh. While not AS good later in the year, it still taste good and is a good way to use up extra veggies lying around. Any veggies can be put into the hodge podge.


In the spring of the year we use:
Hodge Podge
Fresh green/yellow beans
Fresh garden peas
Fresh small carrots - washed, not peeled, snapped into 1/2 or 1/3's
New baby potatoes - washed, not peeled

Leaf Lettuce Salad
Fresh leaf lettuce
Fresh chives
Sour Cream

More Papers ... AND Coloring!!!

Sooooooooo .... it's raining AGAIN!!

I'm about halfway through scanning my papers. There are literally thousands of pages from only two years. UGH! At least I have a whole slew of shows to watch, and lots of coffee to drink.

I think I'll scan another class or so and then color for a while. Just bought a coloring book! New markers, pencil crayons, and crayons! There is nothing quite like the feeling you get from smelling a newly opened box of crayons! (Or a new book!) :)

Foods and Papers

So, lately (well, the past two days), I have been scanning thousands of papers so that all my old classes are in single pdf files that I can access on my ereader. I like the idea of each class being one file, instead of each class having 15-30 or so different files. They have some really nice scanners out now. This one is no bigger than my girly forearn, and it scans the pages in only a few seconds, I've been having show marathons, and I just keep feeding the scanner. :)

Food ... For a long time, I just haven't much cared enough to eat well. (Also I was just on a 3 week trip/vacation, and it was splurging time.) So the past two days, I have been eating super healthy. I think my body went into shock yesterday from the overly healthy binge. I have kept up the healthy eating today, and I am starting to feel a little better; not quite as tired anymore. I think after a week or so of healthy, I will start running again. I LOVE running, used to run for hours at a time with my boyfriend back in university. It's been a long time since I have run. I do miss it. So, I'm hoping next week, I can really get the ambition to start building my endurance. I'm also hoping my recently spranged ankle will be built up enough to be able to handle it.

CATS!!!!!!!!!

My friend's cats! They are so cute! Click Here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7TxE8zTyDE

Here We Go Again!

And Here we go again. I forgot how much I missed travelling by the seat of my pants! My flight isn't until tomorrow night, but I made some calls and booked a flight with just enough time to get to the gate from my place. Really thinking now. I just need to "gypsy" again. This stable, scheduled existence was never my thing. :)

Miss the Stars

Darkness in the city. (After 1:30am) ... Miss home. Miss the stars.