These boots...

...aren't the only thing for walking.  And this information is too good to keep to myself!

I recently received this video link from a friend:  The Gift of Walking It's a 6+ minute video that is WELL WORTH your time today!

A couple of years ago my niece (Beth) and her husband (Matt) took up walking...serious walking.  They began supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and participating in their Team in Training program.  And they began training...

I think the first big test was in June 2010 when they came to Seattle to participate in the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.  Beth finished walking the half-marathon course in ~ 4 hrs. 20 min! Gerry & I cheered them on from a couple of vantage points throughout the race course and were there at the finish line to celebrate their success (and help them get ice!)  While watching them, it occurred to me that I could probably do that...walk...even 13.1 miles.  I mean, seriously, walking doesn't take any special equipment or training or even a gym membership.  It just requires practice...a lot of practice.

So the following year, Gerry & I entered the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and I began to practice - gradually increasing my times and distances from 15 min and 1/2 mile to one hour/3.5 miles to two hours/6 miles and finally to 3 hours/10 miles!

When June came, we had quite a "team" - Beth and Matt returned for their second go-round, my sister (Margo) and her daughter (Tessa) and son-in-law (Sean) - both runners - also joined in (of course, Sean actually finished the race before us pokey walkers even started!)  Gerry could have probably gone a lot faster than our pace but he was on "sherpa" duty - carrying everything the successful walker might need (water bottles, sunscreen, energy bars, salt packets, towels for drying off).

Gerry, Margo & I were the last of our bunch to cross the line at 4 hours, 19 minutes!  Walking is easy - even for someone not in incredible shape otherwise.  It's amazing how much better I feel when I get that walk in (even if it's just that daily 30 minutes of aerobic "walking" on my Wii), how much more clear-headed I become, how much more I'm able to do, just plain how energetic feel, and most importantly, how much more easily I can keep up on vacation!

I won't say "never" but I'm thinking my marathoning days are most likely behind me (I'm sure I could go the distance - well, at least "half" the distance) but the courses tend to be on city streets and that's a lot of pounding the pavement at a pretty good clip (not great on these old knees - and especially not great on the old knees of my "sherpa" partner).  Beth & Matt though continue to participate in Team in Training, having gone to San Francisco, San Diego and Ireland last year.

So go lace up your sneakers and get out there and walk!

~later, tw

Who Moved Their Cheese?

Cheese fire causes traffic meltdown in Norway tunnel

27 METRIC TONS of Brunost, a Norwegian brown cheese delicacy, burned for SIX days, blocking THREE miles of roadway.  Apparently no one could figure out how to get 12,000 loaves of sourdough bread cubes on 10 foot skewers for fondue?

~later, (I can't make this stuff up!) tw

Was if live or was it Memorex?

But more importantly, is it even remotely possible that anyone on this planet could care less?  Because it was cold - very cold that day - and any professional performer would take all necessary precautions to ensure his/her/their performance would be the absolute best at this live once-in-a-lifetime event:

The Frigid Fingers Were Live, but the Music Wasn't

(What did you think I was talking about?  It's not like they got Mill Vanilli to do the National Anthem. )

This is what the collective media chooses to report?  Because Monday, JANUARY 21, 2013 was apparently a particularly "slow news day"?  It's not like President Obama lip-synced his inauguration speech (the speech, which by the way, got significantly less play time than either Beyonce OR Michelle Obama's bangs).

~later, (lip-syncing my way thru this post) tw

It's the Little Things...

...okay, maybe it's actually NOT the little things (but the bigger, 12 cup variety!)

I know - it's totally crazy but I live in the land of all things coffee and I can't stand the stuff.  And it's more than just a bit annoying to have friends say "let's meet at Starbucks" and I have to have them give me an actual street address so I can plug it into my GPS since I don't have a "favorite."  And to add insult to injury, I don't have a "code" - double this, whipped that, venti, grande, whatever.  (I used to get hot chocolate but they usually make it only lukewarm since they figure I'm ordering for a child.)

And though I can absolutely guarantee it is NOT the caffeine, I do recognize a higher power and accept that I am, in fact, addicted to the stuff.  It is my "go to" drink of choice - I love it cold, I love it hot, I just plain love, love, LOVE it.  And I have discovered that a french-press coffee maker makes the easiest, most fabulous tea using loose-leaf tea (shout out to Murchie's in Canada and to Sarah in Sweden who keep me stocked in the delicious stuff) - which is much preferred versus the teabags (great for convenience but bags are made using the leftover scraps of bits of leaves after the good stuff has been packaged).

I have two such french-presses.  A little one which I suppose is probably a 3-4 cup version (my "starter" pot) and a marvelous 12-cup version.

Last week, during one of his very rarer (and now likely not to be repeated) attempts at doing dishes, my son juggled the large carafe onto the floor.

Reduced to making tea one mug at a time, I have increased my workouts with my many, many trips to the kitchen to brew another...mug.  (Great exercise - I mean sitting at a computer for too long a period of time is supposedly deadly but I figured that was already being taken care of nicely by the number of trips to the bathroom drinking all this tea necessitates.)

Today my replacement carafe was delivered and I am savoring my first full pot of tea.  Heavenly!  (That and the space warmer under my desk in my office!)

It is the little things in life that make me the happiest!

~later, (contentedly sipping my cuppa) tw

What a World!

Dang it anyways - now I'll have to go back to scheduling routine mammograms:  TSA to Remove Controversial X-Ray Scanners Our son, the conspiracy theorist, figures that this was some device designed by the government to collect data from American citizens while having them practice their "submissive" posturing.  I just thought it was a far less awkward and indescribably less painful way to get at least one of my annual chores out of the way.  I always smiled as I went through and requested they forward the results to my doctor (they wouldn't - but what with the new healthcare changes, there was always that hope).

I didn't realize it was the Mouse's memories we were talking about here!

In a (seemingly) non-related story, Disney World announced their plans to Track Visitors with Wireless Wristbands.  These wristbands, equipped with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, will act as your "key to the kingdom" linking you access to your hotel room, the parks, your credit cards.  (That coupled with the fact that once you enter "the happiest place on earth" you become one of the most photographed people on the planet thereby giving them an unparalleled database for face recognition doesn't seem the least littlest bit creepy, does it?)

~later, tw

Dear Abby:

Dear Abby: My wife sleeps in the raw. Then she showers, brushes her teeth and fixes our breakfast — still in the buff. We’re newlyweds and there are just the two of us, so I suppose there’s really nothing wrong with it. What do you think? — Ed
Dear Ed: It’s OK with me. But tell her to put on an apron when she’s frying bacon.


Dear Abby: Are birth-control pills deductible? — Bertie
Dear Bertie: Only if they don’t work.

Dear Abby: Who do we ask now? ~ later, tw

More Felicitations!

Happy Birthdaze!

Oh for the days when I towered over him!

James (26)

*Confirmed with calculator - I'm taking no more chances!

Derek (29)*

~later, tw

Welcome to "Double Nickels!"

Nothing better than sharing a story with a grandson!

Celebrating 25 years at Microsoft

Cruising to Alaska!

Happy Birthday Gerry!

 In honor of his birthday, I've selected a number of kitchen appliances I'm sure he's gonna love!

~later, soon-to-be-there-myself tw

It's Good to be the King...

...at least it is first thing in the morning:

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper."

                                         ~ Adele Davis (American Nutritionist and Writer, 1904-1974)

In the on-going search for the easy way to a healthier being (and therefore weight loss), platitudes abound.  This one, recently stumbled upon, seems to have taken permanent residence, continually swirling in the brain pan of my mind.  Consume more calories earlier in the day (when you at least have more opportunity for burning them off) and fewer calories later in the day (when you are most likely to become inactive).  Hmm...there's a concept!

With pauper/peasant in mind, I've come across two more soup recipes (oh do I LOVE January and its really cold weather!!!):

From Rachael Ray and the Cooking Channel:  Minestra and Beef and Pork Polpette.  YUM!  Spoiler alert:  if made exactly to recipe (which is how I did it), the meatballs are extremely delicious and a tad on the spicy side (perfect for our family but if you don't love spicy as much as we do then just reduce/eliminate the red pepper flakes).

From Allrecipes.com:  Winter Leek and Potato Soup  Definitely check out at least some of the reviews for this soup (having bacon for garnish and making cheese optional).

Get that soup kettle going!

~ later (headed for my crown and breakfast), terri

Anybody got some crackers & cheese?

...to go along with our wine(s)?

First room needed to be made.

2013 is going to be a big year of change around here!  "Space Justification" and overall organization were just the (very small time) beginnings last year.  This year we are going to, as Emeril would say, "kick things up a notch - BAM!"

Many of the projects I have started are not "visual" - nobody says "Wow!  You've really done a great job organizing/simplifying your tax returns, Terri.  I really wish I could do that!"  Sometimes, if for no other reason than it keeps motivation high, it's important to do some obvious, visual and BIG!

January's project definitely qualifies.  After years of talking around the project, vaguely looking at different ways of doing it, and generally tripping over cases (many, many, oh my goodness so MANY cases) of wine, it was finally time to just do something - ANYTHING!

When it was on sale last month (and realizing that something this big could not possibly arrive until after the holidays - YAY!) we ordered the Vinotemp 440-Bottle Wine Cellar from Costco.  It's probably not as lovely as what Gerry had originally in mind but it is actually designed to be located in a garage (where functionality is all that really matters).  It holds a LOT of wine...oddly not 440 because it only has 18x12x2 places for bottles and since there is an "8" (see previous posting) in the equation I borke out the calculator to determine that at most (dependent on bottle size) maximum capacity is actually 432.  This means 8 (oh if only it were so) bottles would have to go elsewhere.  Still...432 is a lot of capacity.

39 CASES OF WEILER WINE!

It arrived right during the Seahawk game on Sunday (not a problem for Gerry since he is only allowed to watch them play on tape delay - it's just easier for all of us that way!).  We spent the morning relocating the wine cases from their various "storage" places (in the garage, somewhere in the house, at the off-site storage facility) so Gerry was ready to plug 'er in and get it filled.  Then the delivery guy said no...you can't even plug it in for the first 24 hours (gotta let that freon settle).  Okay - bummed but knowing he could get it done Monday night after work he came in and watched what had by that time become the Seahawk victory.

The Wonderful World of Color

Now loading a cellar is not as easy as just plunking bottles in - unless you want to have to go through the entire cellar just to find that last bottle of Ketcham Estates Pinot Noir you've been saving.  It takes a bit of organization - and a complete inventory of your wines.  We found a software that would help with that process and finally on Wednesday night (after numerous tries involving several charts, colored markers and more than a little frustration), we had a "map" for the cellar and the loading process began.

It's still got some "tweaking" left to do - and I'd like to put some "toe tags" on at least the front bottles to make it faster to locate, but it's already a huge improvement over what we had before.  From the picture, there appears to be a small area (~12 slots or 24 bottles) that doesn't have anything in it yet.  It's for our "orphan" wines - those singleton bottles that don't have a particular varietal designation. 

Doesn't it just look happier full?

There are a couple of other details to completely finish off this project:  1) I'd like to put some "toe tags" on at least the front bottles to speed up location of a specific wine; 2) you can see in the photo there is a small area (~12 slots = 24 bottles) that doesn't have anything in it yet for our "orphan" wines - those singleton bottles that don't have a particular variety designation or ones I couldn't remember what category I had assigned them when entering them into the computer (it was nearly midnight for crying out loud); and perhaps the biggest remaining challenge 3) what to do with the ~160 bottles that flat out won't fit in the cellar (which goes to highlight the need for the cellar so we could actually see in one place how much we have accumulated!)

It won't be terribly hard to decide what to do with some of those 160 bottles.  I mean how good do we really think a 1989 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc could be?  Seriously - what is the shelf life of that wine?  Especially considering that we purchased the wine...probably in 1989...for $1/bottle - just how could good it have been then?  (On the other hand, we've got half a case left of some port we purchased around then and seriously that stuff is getting really GOOD!)

What do you suppose the recycling guy thought of this?

So obviously it's still a project in progress and we will have some time in the next few weeks to go through these "spare" wines and dump the bad (hopefully BEFORE we try to serve it to any friends!)  As you can see, we are doing our part to keep people employed, especially in the recycling industry.  This stack of packing inserts for the cases doesn't even include the styrofoam ones and is already taller than me!  I anticipate so much more, in terms of bottles, going into the bin over the next few months.

And we will have the time to do this since we will be without a kitchen for ~6-7 weeks as we move to the next phase of improvement: the kitchen remodel.

~Cheers, tw

Me & Einstein

Albert Einstein and I have several things in common:  we are both of German ancestry and we were both born on March 14th.  We weren't born in the same year, however, that apparently doesn't matter as much to me as we definitely do NOT share mathematical abilities.

Those who know me know that I have always had a thing about the number "8" - I cannot do any mathematical computations involving the number "8".  I guess then that it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise when I was preparing my January birthday cards for those of you born in January 1984 (Jenny & Derek).  You're probably puzzling over yours since clearly I took 2013 and subtracted 1984 and, as only I could, (you know there is an "8" in there somewhere!) proclaimed you to be 30 years old.  Consider this my "gift" to you - an extra year!

Anyway, since this blog is "all about me," today I'm remembering where I was on a very bright, cold, windy, did I mention COLD day in January 1984.  My OB actually thought January 11th would be better (which was a tad disappointing for me because I had picked January 10th) for the birthday of our middle child (so she should consider herself VERY special as I did get my wish that day!!!) 











As I said, turns out it was only 29 years ago today, so I have an entire year to savor the fact that I am the mother of only one kid who is 30+ years old!

So  Jenny (and her extra year!)  Use it wisely (or not...I mean, it is "extra" after all!)

Happy Birthday Jenny!

~later, your mathematically challenged mom

67% - not a passing grade...

...but I'll take it anyway.  One of the best meals my mom made (not really known for her cooking skills) was stuffed peppers.  Typically a fall dish, I can still remember how wonderful that aroma that filled the entire house.

I'll admit - stuffed peppers is an acquired taste.  Few are born loving it from birth.  Even as a kid, I remember not liking it, then gradually agreeing to at least eat the "stuffing" (it was that or go hungry - mom wasn't really into catering meals to my 8-year-old taste palette).  Overtime, I fortunately did acquire a taste for this, making it one of my most cherished comfort foods.

It was definitely a surprise to my husband the first time I made it as a newlywed.  Good thing we were still in that "honeymoon" phase where he would gladly try anything put in front of him.  Turns out he immediately acquired a taste for it.  (Either he had aged thru the period of initial dislike or he was one of those born to love it.)

Somehow this taste preference was only inherited by two of our three kids (67%).  Since the one kid who doesn't care for it a) no longer lives at home; b) has sufficient middle-child issues to ding me for the remainder of both our lives, it never stops me from making it.  There is something more than comforting about being able to smell a sumptuous dinner in the making while working on a big project around the house.  [Pictures and description of that project the stuff of a later post.]

So Sunday's dinner was a tried and true favorite.  But last night's was a new one (from allrecipes.com):  Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup  Typically I have most everything on hand to make this soup (unless my son has totally cleaned me out of black beans without letting me know).  I've never used chili beans before - frankly, didn't know what these were and would have easily substituted any other kind of bean instead but since I had to run to the store for black beans I figured I'd check these out as well.  Turns out I have been overlooking these forever as they were right there with the rest of the beans.  Chili beans are just pinto beans with some seasoned sauce so I didn't drain these (I do drain/rinse the black beans as I don't particularly care for the "black sludge" in all my recipes).  I didn't have 10 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis (I don't think I've ever seen 10 oz. cans) so I subbed one 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes PLUS 1 6 oz. can fire-roasted green chilis (both of which I have plenty on hand).  I used a single packet of Costco boneless/skinless chicken breasts (which is essentially one whole chicken breast - I have no idea why this recipe calls for 3 WHOLE breasts as the two halves I used were plenty of chicken).

I've had a favorite slow cooker taco soup recipe (Paula Deen) that just requires way too many canned products along with several packets of seasonings - very tasty but a HUGE hit on the sodium.  By using low-salt beans, frozen corn, and making the Taco Seasoning myself (allrecipes.com) this becomes not only very tasty, but actually pretty healthy recipe.

So get out your slow cookers and give these a try (and if you come across any great slow cooker recipes - SHARE!)

~later, tw

[PS - Wii and I have, once again, reached our one week anniversary.  I'm pretty sure that Snickers is NOT the appropriate one week anniversary gift.]

Those were some angry birds!

I'll admit it - I had my doubts yesterday when Washington (the other Washington) scored two pretty darn quick touchdowns against us and we were already in the hole 14-0.  I knew that our quarterback/running back combo was good - I just didn't know how good.  You know that phrase "it takes a village"?  Well to paraphrase "it takes a team," an ENTIRE team because on one play I'm pretty sure it took at least 11 guys to stop #24 (possibly 12...I couldn't tell if the water boy was in on the play or just hanging along the sidelines!)

One of my favorite plays was when the Seahawks finally went ahead in the 4th quarter.  I saw the handoff to Lynch, could have sworn I saw Wilson drop back in the play when all of a sudden Lynch is heading for the endzone and ZOOM - this player flies from nowhere to clear a path in front of him!  And then I recognize the number of the jersey is 3 - it's our quarterback plowing the row!!!

AMAZING!

Now onto Atlanta and more of the same!

(I hope my buddy James gets a paycheck all the way thru Feb. 3rd!)

~later, tw

The Gift

January 3rd and still being successful!

With schedules not coinciding as usual (compounded by illnesses going around), we didn't get to see some friends until New Year's Eve when they brought us the most wonderful gifts ... a bottle of garlic/portabella infused olive oil and a bottle of balsamic pear vinegar.  Now often I will be very excited to be on the receiving end of such things, but I don't always have a clue of what I should do with them.

Tonight I found out!

One recipe came from yesterday's Food & Wine section of the Seattle Times.  One came from watching an old episode of 5 Ingredient Fix and one was something I actually threw together (to use up produce on hand before tonight's box arrives on my doorstep!)  Each would have been perfectly serviceable on its own but with "the gift" was kicked up many, many notches!

Recipe #1:  Pecan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts  (courtesy of the Seattle Times)  This was incredibly easy and best of all, requires only 5 ingredients - all of which I happened to have on hand.  Actually come to think of it, I usually have all of these ingredients on hand pretty much all of the time.  I really LOVE recipes that do not require me to drop everything and run to the store.  This recipe got extra points because it calls for Boursin cheese - those little round 3-packs that Costco puts on sale frequently at the holidays.  I don't know why I buy them...it always seems like something to put out when entertaining, which we do fairly often (entertain that is...not so much with putting out the cheese.  Turns out none of us or our family/friends are big on the goat cheese on crackers type appetizer.)  Finally something I could do with one (Gerry will be so happy - not only is dinner ready but I used something he typically throws in the trash come February.)  Rather than just plain ol' olive oil this time I used "the gift" - AMAZING!

Recipe #2:  Minted Squash Orzo (courtesy of FoodNetwork.com)  This recipe is a bit tricky to find on their website.  I searched for Claire Robinson (I don't think she has a current show on their network - 5 Ingredient Fix is an oldie but goodie) and then searched her recipes for "Orzo" to find this one.  I used up a bit of whole wheat orzo, a half a zucchini (rather than the yellow squash) and a small amount of feta I found in the fridge (didn't have any mint leaves on hand - not a big lover of mint leaves in my food - so I guess mine is just a 4 Ingredient Fix).  I used some of "the gift" olive oil here.  YUM!

Recipe #3:  No Name or "Not-Really-A-Recipe-Just-Something-I-Threw-in-the-Pan-tonight-rather-than-the-food-waste-bin-tomorrow"  Because of the holiday my Full Circle Farm produce delivery will come tomorrow morning so tonight it was time to use it or lose it from the vegetable bin.  I found two bunches of chard (one Swiss, one Rainbow) so I heated up some more of "the gift" and threw that in.  I also had some "wrinkled" cherry tomatoes and put those in as well with a small amount of water and put a lid on it.  Once everything else was done and the tomatoes had "popped" I dished everyone up and told them to try a drizzle of the other "gift" (the balsamic pear vinegar).  Oh my!  Now around here we love chard (or basically any dark leafy green - they seem pretty interchangeable / indistinguishable to me).  I know some people find them bitter but I've never thought so.  We love it "plain" (okay start with some bacon, then sauteed the chard in the drippings, add a little liquid and allow to braise, then add back the bacon at the end - hey, that's a type of plain) but adding the tomatoes and their sweetness took the dish in an entirely different direction (and I didn't even miss the bacon!) and then the drizzle of vinegar put it way over the top!

~successfully yours, tw

[PS - Yesterday's success involved reaquainting myself with the Wii.  Wii was a bit snarky "Oh TW - nice of you to show up after missing 37 days" however Wii was pleased as punch - and probably a bit surprised - to see me again today, so clearly all is forgiven.]

"Soup"er New Year!

I don't really much like New Year's Resolutions.  They kind of seem like extra long versions of "what I gave up for Lent" (something else I don't get).  It's hard to narrow it down to specific items to list.  And if you announce your resolutions to others I always get the sense that people are watching, not so much to cheer me on in my endeavor, but to witness the moment in time when the resolution is abandoned (I read recently that on average most people abandon their resolutions on or before January 10th - so if you've made one, you've only got 8 more days to keep it up).

So my resolution this year is simple:  Just do better than the (fill in the blank) before.  Better than yesterday, last month, last year, EVER (there are a lot of options here and no reason to beat yourself up because like Scarlet O'Hara says "tomorrow is another day")

This is how I see it working - I'd like to make changes in my life but I'd like them to not just be something I try really hard until January 10th and then give up completely.  My hope is that changes, however small and simple at the time, become more of a life changing development (I am afterall, as are each of you, a total work in progress).

I'm finding this...already on January 2nd...to be a fairly liberating experience.  Without exacting standards, rules and expectations to guide me, I can achieve victory (sometimes small, hopefully larger ones as well) easily.  And failure...well failure is not an option here.  What matters is success!  Feeling successful (which I've discovered generally leads to actual and more, real and sustainable successes).

So here's to my successful January 1st!  Yesterday we had family over to celebrate the New Year.  My personal success involved entertaining without spending a ton of money, using what I had (pretty much) on hand, trying not one, not two but THREE new (surprisingly healthy) dishes, each of which was so good, I thought I would share these easily found (and incredibly delicious!) recipes:

From Allrecipes.com (I recommend you join - spend the $20 so you can make your own recipe.  Lots & LOTS of recipes, brutal reviews - you'll find out quickly, before spending time & energy & money, what changes you might want to make, AND you can create your own recipe box so you can quickly find that recipe you loved!)

• Soup #1 - Sweet Potato Chili  Not too spicy (I used all ground turkey because that's what I had)

• Soup #2 - Tangy Vegan Crockpot Corn Chowder (crockpot was busy with soup #1 above so I made this on the stove)  Nobody at our house is vegan but I had collected this recipe because 1) I'm always on the lookout for vegetarian recipes - especially ones that would be palatable for carnivores; and 2) my sister-in-law, whom I adore, has recently (due to health concerns) adopted a vegetarian lifestyle and while she is completely unobtrusive about it, I like my guests to be able to eat something when I invite them over for a meal.  It did require some additional shopping because we don't typically (read "NEVER") have soymilk on hand nor did I even know what "vegan butter" was (this I froze the remainder so I will have on hand for future meal for S-I-L).  This soup was so good my "definitely-carnivore-isn't-that-why-we-have-canine-teeth-husband", after tasting it, declared he was ready to become vegan!

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks website (I totally love Ree Drummond!!!) and you can find a link to her website and the right side of this page:

• Soup #3:  Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup  According to everyone at my house, she's wrong!  This isn't AS good as Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana - this is BETTER!!!!  (And anytime you can sneak kale in as an ingredient, it's a really good thing!)

So 1/1/13 is in the bag and I'm judging it to be personally successful.  I hope yours was as well!  I'm going to find a project to tackle to continue on my personal journey towards success and happiness.

~later, tw

(PS - Go make some soup!)

Welcome 2013!

Happy New Year!

Aren't we glad the Mayans got it so totally wrong???  Good friends, good food, good times!

Best wishes in the year ahead!

~later, tw