By Elizabeth Prata
Hi everyone, how are you doing? We are in the mid-point (hopefully) of a government mandated/advised (depending on where you live) quarantine/self-isolation/quarantine (depending on where you live).
Our school was canceled from March 13 until April 24, with potentially reopening on April 27 (depending on what's happening with the virus).
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Morning walk
By Elizabeth Prata
My normal wont is to stay seated. I write, read, and study most of the time that I'm not actively working at school. But too much sitting is of course not good.
The road I live on is a one way and little traveled. It takes 10 minutes to walk down to the end and back. There's a bit of a hill in the middle so it's good exercise. I understand that three 10-minute walks per day equals one 30 minute session for cardio, so when the weather is fine, I do that. It's important to take breaks at intervals.
It rained hard last night and it's been raining a LOT here lately. We had the 4th wettest February ever and Dec-Jan-Feb we had 22 inches of rain. So when the weather is THIS GOOD, and it is good this morning, I get out for a little while.
My normal wont is to stay seated. I write, read, and study most of the time that I'm not actively working at school. But too much sitting is of course not good.
The road I live on is a one way and little traveled. It takes 10 minutes to walk down to the end and back. There's a bit of a hill in the middle so it's good exercise. I understand that three 10-minute walks per day equals one 30 minute session for cardio, so when the weather is fine, I do that. It's important to take breaks at intervals.
It rained hard last night and it's been raining a LOT here lately. We had the 4th wettest February ever and Dec-Jan-Feb we had 22 inches of rain. So when the weather is THIS GOOD, and it is good this morning, I get out for a little while.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Crafting in self-isolation
By Elizabeth Prata
We are at the present time advised by health and government officials to remain at home and to only venture out to make essential trips. We are to maintain a distance of 6 feet from people we may speak with along the way, aside from immediate family under our own roofs of course. These guidelines, and in some case mandated legal ordinances, are due to the highly infectious COVID-19 virus spreading from nation to nation like wildfire.
I have a ton of things to keep my busy. One thing is to do some crafts. I was putting together a birthday gift last week and I realized that I was low on medium-sized items. Gotta fix that.
I also wanted to pick up where I left off on Pixlr, and using the photo editing and manipulation app to do some creative productions of some of my crafts I'd scanned in. I like using a real piece of art in the digital to add to it. I don't know why. It's just fun.
Here are some of the items I played with digitally. I'll explain each one.
Here is the original. It is a book cover I painted. At the time I was practicing painting techniques and layering. I am not being coy when I say I am really not good at art. I see it in my mind but I just can't make my hands do it right. But I keep trying. Thank goodness for tutorials on Youtube!
Here it is after I played with it using some Pixlr overlays.
This was a Lomo camera photo of two people walking in a hall
I scanned it in, digitized it and put it in an altered book. That's when you take a discarded book, paint over the pages, leaving some words exposed if you want, and make collages on the pages.
This final one is the digitized, manipulated piece with Pixlr overlays.
Here is a stenciling and painting piece I did in my art journal.
I manipulated it using different overlays and put them all into a 4-piece collage:
Here is a file folder collage I did:
And then the added digital stuff-
This upcoming week I'll so some more real life art and practice some things I am attempting to learn. I'll probably scan them and let you know how I did. What are your hobbies? And will our homes all look like this when we're let out again?
We are at the present time advised by health and government officials to remain at home and to only venture out to make essential trips. We are to maintain a distance of 6 feet from people we may speak with along the way, aside from immediate family under our own roofs of course. These guidelines, and in some case mandated legal ordinances, are due to the highly infectious COVID-19 virus spreading from nation to nation like wildfire.
I have a ton of things to keep my busy. One thing is to do some crafts. I was putting together a birthday gift last week and I realized that I was low on medium-sized items. Gotta fix that.
I also wanted to pick up where I left off on Pixlr, and using the photo editing and manipulation app to do some creative productions of some of my crafts I'd scanned in. I like using a real piece of art in the digital to add to it. I don't know why. It's just fun.
Here are some of the items I played with digitally. I'll explain each one.
Here is the original. It is a book cover I painted. At the time I was practicing painting techniques and layering. I am not being coy when I say I am really not good at art. I see it in my mind but I just can't make my hands do it right. But I keep trying. Thank goodness for tutorials on Youtube!
Here it is after I played with it using some Pixlr overlays.
This was a Lomo camera photo of two people walking in a hall
I scanned it in, digitized it and put it in an altered book. That's when you take a discarded book, paint over the pages, leaving some words exposed if you want, and make collages on the pages.
This final one is the digitized, manipulated piece with Pixlr overlays.
Here is a stenciling and painting piece I did in my art journal.
I manipulated it using different overlays and put them all into a 4-piece collage:
Here is a file folder collage I did:
And then the added digital stuff-
This upcoming week I'll so some more real life art and practice some things I am attempting to learn. I'll probably scan them and let you know how I did. What are your hobbies? And will our homes all look like this when we're let out again?
Friday, March 20, 2020
Went to Kroger for Groceries: Trip Report
By Elizabeth Prata
I haven't left the property for a week, since the day we were let out of school and the national emergency due to the pandemic of COVID-9 was declared. I went to get food, like I always do on Fridays, then hunkered down to see what came next.
I read online of places being out of stock, people acting crazy. I'm glad where I am people seem to be more reasonable. I decided that since the weather was nice, and my perishables has been eaten, I'd make my weekly trip to Kroger to pick up fruit and vegetables. It was 10 am.
The roads were a lot less traveled, but then again, I'm in a rural area and there never is much traffic. 3 cars at a stop sign is traffic. More than one car inside the rotary is traffic. Not making all the lights in my 14 mile journey (all 3 of them) is traffic.
But the roads were less traveled. Parking lots were empty. No one was idling at the train crossing waiting for the train to go by.
Kroger was a lot less busy than usual. I found a parking spot near the door with no problem.
The perishables in the produce area have been restocked...mainly. There were gaps. For example, no bagged carrots at all. No broccoli. No bananas. Other things were overflowing, like avocados, tomatoes, and potatoes were back. I guess form here on in it will just depend on the trucks' arrivals.
The seafood counter was bare. No fresh seafood at all. A few already-packaged items like salmon filets or swordfish steaks were in the side cooler. If you wanted seafood your best bet was frozen. The packaged meat area was picked through, though there were some items. I got some roasted chicken meat and that is all I got for protein. I have some frozen in my own freezer, turkey sandwich meat, eggs, and peanut butter. That'll hold me.
Along the interior aisles there were full stocks right next to totally depleted stocks. For example, very few canned beans, hardly any canned tomatoes, peanut butter was low. I had a coupon for a free Kroger peanut butter in 16 oz size but there was only one crunchy left and about 6 creamy left. Other items were fully faced all the way to the edge, like spaghetti or the more expensive peanut butters etc. TP was back on the shelves, but there were gaps in the preferred kinds. Some brands were there, other brands were out. Again, it was hit or miss, but that's better than total miss PLUS chaos from last Friday.
The worst part for me was the lack of marked down items. I rely on the severely reduced produce and other "Woo-hoo!" sales sprinkled throughout the store to make my budget. Items haven't been left on the shelf long enough to approach expiration dates, so I was out of luck and paid full price for everything. Even the circular's weekly sale items were out of stock. But it's OK, I am at home more and moving less, and not stressed so I am eating less.
People were subdued. Some wore masks. Some had gloves. I brought my wipes with me and used them at intervals. No chatting in the aisles. People tried to avoid each other. Not a lot of lingering. No laughter.
I used self checkout, so I'd be the only one touching my items. (I know others have touched them before me.) I noticed when I departed the clerk hurried over with a disinfectant to wipe the touch screen and keypad. Good.
The worst part of the trip was the older man who sneezed right into a bin of honeydew melons without even a scintilla of effort to cover. At least it wasn't a bin of tomatoes or grapes. But it was gross.
As a happy surprise I saw 4 of my church friends! One who is a young mom was in the car idling out front. Her mother had gone in to get food while she waited in the car. Another gang of three roomies stopped me as I crossed the parking lot to say hello. I went back over to the wide sidewalk and awkwardly conversed at louder volume from 6-8 feet away while traffic flowed behind us and people walked between. So, lengthy conversation was not possible, just hihowareyaisn'tthis weird but it was GREAT to see friends.
So, food and stocks will be available it seems. The clerks were working hard to restock and to fulfill curbside orders. People seemed calm.
It is a warm and beautiful spring day out there. The lawn is being cut as I write this. I have always loved the sound of distant lawnmowing. I hear the birds. People outside walking or playing in nearby yards. Life in America these days is different, but it's still good.
I haven't left the property for a week, since the day we were let out of school and the national emergency due to the pandemic of COVID-9 was declared. I went to get food, like I always do on Fridays, then hunkered down to see what came next.
I read online of places being out of stock, people acting crazy. I'm glad where I am people seem to be more reasonable. I decided that since the weather was nice, and my perishables has been eaten, I'd make my weekly trip to Kroger to pick up fruit and vegetables. It was 10 am.
The roads were a lot less traveled, but then again, I'm in a rural area and there never is much traffic. 3 cars at a stop sign is traffic. More than one car inside the rotary is traffic. Not making all the lights in my 14 mile journey (all 3 of them) is traffic.
But the roads were less traveled. Parking lots were empty. No one was idling at the train crossing waiting for the train to go by.
Kroger was a lot less busy than usual. I found a parking spot near the door with no problem.
The perishables in the produce area have been restocked...mainly. There were gaps. For example, no bagged carrots at all. No broccoli. No bananas. Other things were overflowing, like avocados, tomatoes, and potatoes were back. I guess form here on in it will just depend on the trucks' arrivals.
The seafood counter was bare. No fresh seafood at all. A few already-packaged items like salmon filets or swordfish steaks were in the side cooler. If you wanted seafood your best bet was frozen. The packaged meat area was picked through, though there were some items. I got some roasted chicken meat and that is all I got for protein. I have some frozen in my own freezer, turkey sandwich meat, eggs, and peanut butter. That'll hold me.
Along the interior aisles there were full stocks right next to totally depleted stocks. For example, very few canned beans, hardly any canned tomatoes, peanut butter was low. I had a coupon for a free Kroger peanut butter in 16 oz size but there was only one crunchy left and about 6 creamy left. Other items were fully faced all the way to the edge, like spaghetti or the more expensive peanut butters etc. TP was back on the shelves, but there were gaps in the preferred kinds. Some brands were there, other brands were out. Again, it was hit or miss, but that's better than total miss PLUS chaos from last Friday.
The worst part for me was the lack of marked down items. I rely on the severely reduced produce and other "Woo-hoo!" sales sprinkled throughout the store to make my budget. Items haven't been left on the shelf long enough to approach expiration dates, so I was out of luck and paid full price for everything. Even the circular's weekly sale items were out of stock. But it's OK, I am at home more and moving less, and not stressed so I am eating less.
People were subdued. Some wore masks. Some had gloves. I brought my wipes with me and used them at intervals. No chatting in the aisles. People tried to avoid each other. Not a lot of lingering. No laughter.
I used self checkout, so I'd be the only one touching my items. (I know others have touched them before me.) I noticed when I departed the clerk hurried over with a disinfectant to wipe the touch screen and keypad. Good.
The worst part of the trip was the older man who sneezed right into a bin of honeydew melons without even a scintilla of effort to cover. At least it wasn't a bin of tomatoes or grapes. But it was gross.
As a happy surprise I saw 4 of my church friends! One who is a young mom was in the car idling out front. Her mother had gone in to get food while she waited in the car. Another gang of three roomies stopped me as I crossed the parking lot to say hello. I went back over to the wide sidewalk and awkwardly conversed at louder volume from 6-8 feet away while traffic flowed behind us and people walked between. So, lengthy conversation was not possible, just hihowareyaisn'tthis weird but it was GREAT to see friends.
So, food and stocks will be available it seems. The clerks were working hard to restock and to fulfill curbside orders. People seemed calm.
It is a warm and beautiful spring day out there. The lawn is being cut as I write this. I have always loved the sound of distant lawnmowing. I hear the birds. People outside walking or playing in nearby yards. Life in America these days is different, but it's still good.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Food Prep week of March 15, spring is in the air, and so is COVID-19
By Elizabeth Prata
Well here I am. At home on a Sunday. No church today and no school tomorrow, nor for the next two weeks. I sure do love to be at home, but not like this, with people sick, or people panicked and worried.
This too shall pass. Either with heavy impacts or light impacts. God is in control, and it is times like this where we can display the peace that passes all understanding. We Christians have the truth - the only truth - we have eternal life, and we have Jesus. He is our all in all. Or are we focused on circumstances and exuding fear? I hope not. I hope I'm not.
So here I am with time on my hands. I have some time right now to write a snacks review! How about that!
I have to be gluten free, dairy free, low carb, low FODMAP. I have a small budget. This means my food choices are very limited either through allergies or finances. Sigh.
I found these two bags of snax on sale at Kroger. Their normal prices are more than twice what is on the sticker. A crunchy G-F snack that wouldn't break my budget? Yes please. I bought them. I ate them. Were they any good?
The serving size for the pretzels is about 20 sticks. The serving size for the chips is about 10 chips. Not a lot. Just enough to make ya mad. OK, the carbs for the pretzels is over the pre-diabetes recommendations for a snack, or keto, which is 15 net carbs or as minimal carbs as possible.
Both snacks are gluten free.
The pretzels were pretty good. A slight sweetness and a lot of crunch. Of course those were the higher carb snack. Sigh. The green chips were less successful tasting. They were very crunchy but not totally tasty. I think kale was the tip-off it wasn't going to be - ahem- good.
Meanwhile, I did some food prep. No, I don't have school this week, but prepping isn't only for time. It's for money. If I'm going to turn on the stove (a big electricity eater) I want to stuff the oven and make use of the heat once for all.
Today I put in some breaded tofu slices, red and orange peppers, green peppers, and a G-F pizza.
I made a fruit salad and when I'm ready to eat some, I'll add some chili powder and lime juice. I also have 2 eggplants and some Bella mushrooms along with celery I'll saute.
I had seen a movie about a fruit stand owner's daughter who longed to be a chef, and was trying to pursue her dream. The movie showed her prepping the fruit for her dad's stand in the wee hours, and adding lime juice and chili powder. Hmmm, this was new. Here in Epicurious, we read of Three Ingredients That Instantly Turn Fruits and Veggies Into Addictive Snacks
So I thought hey, I'll try it. I bought some chili powder. The spice aisle as empty while the bagged and canned beans aisle next door was overflowing. Win.
It's spring here in the south. Meanwhile up north in Maine (my former abode) there is still snow in the woods. This is my yard today-
This was my morning:
This afternoon I'm going to read more of the book The Prince of Providence (about the ex-Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci), watch an episode of Highway to Heaven, and take a tutorial or two on my Logos software to learn it better.
Have a wonderful day and week ahead, whether you're 'out there' or social distancing. BTW thank you to clerks, law enforcement, garbage collectors, postal workers and others who due to their essential service must be in public or deal with the public.
Well here I am. At home on a Sunday. No church today and no school tomorrow, nor for the next two weeks. I sure do love to be at home, but not like this, with people sick, or people panicked and worried.
This too shall pass. Either with heavy impacts or light impacts. God is in control, and it is times like this where we can display the peace that passes all understanding. We Christians have the truth - the only truth - we have eternal life, and we have Jesus. He is our all in all. Or are we focused on circumstances and exuding fear? I hope not. I hope I'm not.
So here I am with time on my hands. I have some time right now to write a snacks review! How about that!
I have to be gluten free, dairy free, low carb, low FODMAP. I have a small budget. This means my food choices are very limited either through allergies or finances. Sigh.
I found these two bags of snax on sale at Kroger. Their normal prices are more than twice what is on the sticker. A crunchy G-F snack that wouldn't break my budget? Yes please. I bought them. I ate them. Were they any good?
The serving size for the pretzels is about 20 sticks. The serving size for the chips is about 10 chips. Not a lot. Just enough to make ya mad. OK, the carbs for the pretzels is over the pre-diabetes recommendations for a snack, or keto, which is 15 net carbs or as minimal carbs as possible.
Both snacks are gluten free.
The pretzels were pretty good. A slight sweetness and a lot of crunch. Of course those were the higher carb snack. Sigh. The green chips were less successful tasting. They were very crunchy but not totally tasty. I think kale was the tip-off it wasn't going to be - ahem- good.
Meanwhile, I did some food prep. No, I don't have school this week, but prepping isn't only for time. It's for money. If I'm going to turn on the stove (a big electricity eater) I want to stuff the oven and make use of the heat once for all.
Today I put in some breaded tofu slices, red and orange peppers, green peppers, and a G-F pizza.
I made a fruit salad and when I'm ready to eat some, I'll add some chili powder and lime juice. I also have 2 eggplants and some Bella mushrooms along with celery I'll saute.
I had seen a movie about a fruit stand owner's daughter who longed to be a chef, and was trying to pursue her dream. The movie showed her prepping the fruit for her dad's stand in the wee hours, and adding lime juice and chili powder. Hmmm, this was new. Here in Epicurious, we read of Three Ingredients That Instantly Turn Fruits and Veggies Into Addictive Snacks
We'd pulled over to one of those roadside fruit stands and I ate hunks of fresh coconut, doused in lime juice, and sprinkled with salt and chili powder. It was the simplest thing—served in a flimsy plastic bag—but it was everything I didn't know I wanted and needed.
A fresh squeeze of lime or lemon juice does magic to a slice of raw fruit. That touch of acid brings out the natural sweetness, and intensifies all the flavors. This was something I'd known for years—something my mom used to do to all our fresh sliced fruit. But the addition of salt and chili powder was, I'm embarrassed to admit, completely foreign to this gal from New England.
In Mexico, though, most fruits and many raw vegetables would be considered naked without the zing of lime, chili, and salt. But after that trip I never looked back. How to Make Fruta con Chile y Limón (see recipe at link above.)By the way the third ingredient is salt.
So I thought hey, I'll try it. I bought some chili powder. The spice aisle as empty while the bagged and canned beans aisle next door was overflowing. Win.
It's spring here in the south. Meanwhile up north in Maine (my former abode) there is still snow in the woods. This is my yard today-
This was my morning:
This afternoon I'm going to read more of the book The Prince of Providence (about the ex-Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci), watch an episode of Highway to Heaven, and take a tutorial or two on my Logos software to learn it better.
Have a wonderful day and week ahead, whether you're 'out there' or social distancing. BTW thank you to clerks, law enforcement, garbage collectors, postal workers and others who due to their essential service must be in public or deal with the public.
Saturday, March 07, 2020
Sun for once!
By Elizabeth Prata
Good morning! I hope you all enjoy this SUNNY day. If you're sick of the rain, here's the reason, and it's not your imagination! NWS rainfall totals as of yesterday for the last 90 days in Athens are 215% of normal, with 14 inches MORE than the 12 inches we normally get. 26.81 inches. And when it wasn't raining we have had little sun, mainly cloudy days have invaded our winter this year. And the rain of course.
I am not kidding, I don't know how people in Seattle do it. We have had practically three straight months of rain, steady, hard driving, cold rain. Yesterday was only one of a very few scattered sunny days and today too. Phew.
At school we were all getting cabin fever with the constant indoor recesses. People on car rider duty came back in with soaked shoes, rain coming down sideways and the umbrella no use. Kids were getting bonkers from needing to release energy, and the pervasive dark affected the staff's mood. Seattle, I got to hand it to you.
Yesterday was a nice day so I took advantage and ran to the Library after school to pick up my interlibrary loan. When it's 42 degrees and raining buckets I just don't want to run errands. I want to scuttle home and put on sweatpants and a comfy shirt and curl up! I have to hand it to Seattle again, my productivity declines when it's raining.
So the book I'd ordered is The Prince of Providence: The Rise and Fall of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor. My family is from Providence and I was born there. I grew up in Rhode Island during the Cianci era. He was a colorful man, that is for sure.
While I was at the library I stepped into the Book Sale room, the Spring Friends of the Library Book sale had opened yesterday. I scored 10 books for $16, a nice price. Eight of them are theological books I plan to give away. I had to wade through Osteens, Lucados, Joyce Meyers, Gloria Copelands and other heretical books to get these. I snapped up some good ones and will give them to people in church who want them.
I also got two for myself. One is a coffee table sized book called Log Cabins, looking at architecture and interior design. I lived in a little bungalow on a lake for many years and I loved it. Fireplace and stone chimney, flagstone patio outside, all cedar walls inside. It's one of my design aesthetics. The other is a book labeled Chick Wit, funny books aimed at women. I thought I'd give it a try.
The puddles in the yard this week have been lake sized. This one has shrunk a lot since Thursday.
Flowers blooming!
Lines and shadows
Just a nice, rural yard, trailer, shed, trees, pergola...ahhh.
I was so tired yesterday that as I browsed at the Library Book Sale I could feel my energy literally draining away. I knew I was operating on fumes and to continue my plan to drive to The Special Store (vintage shop I love) and then Kroger to do groceries would be a stretch. I was stupid-tired. Plus I had a headache getting worse by the moment.
I drove home and put on my comfy clothes and actually fell asleep for two hours! That hasn't happened in a long time. I'm usually tired on Friday after school but I don't like to nap on weeknights. I woke up long enough to fry an egg and then after a little while went back to bed.
The good thing is I have lots of energy to enjoy this day, bask in warm sun, feel the crisp air, listen to the birds singing, and just...be.
I hope you have good moments this day to stop and as they say, smell the roses.
Good morning! I hope you all enjoy this SUNNY day. If you're sick of the rain, here's the reason, and it's not your imagination! NWS rainfall totals as of yesterday for the last 90 days in Athens are 215% of normal, with 14 inches MORE than the 12 inches we normally get. 26.81 inches. And when it wasn't raining we have had little sun, mainly cloudy days have invaded our winter this year. And the rain of course.
I am not kidding, I don't know how people in Seattle do it. We have had practically three straight months of rain, steady, hard driving, cold rain. Yesterday was only one of a very few scattered sunny days and today too. Phew.
At school we were all getting cabin fever with the constant indoor recesses. People on car rider duty came back in with soaked shoes, rain coming down sideways and the umbrella no use. Kids were getting bonkers from needing to release energy, and the pervasive dark affected the staff's mood. Seattle, I got to hand it to you.
Yesterday was a nice day so I took advantage and ran to the Library after school to pick up my interlibrary loan. When it's 42 degrees and raining buckets I just don't want to run errands. I want to scuttle home and put on sweatpants and a comfy shirt and curl up! I have to hand it to Seattle again, my productivity declines when it's raining.
So the book I'd ordered is The Prince of Providence: The Rise and Fall of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor. My family is from Providence and I was born there. I grew up in Rhode Island during the Cianci era. He was a colorful man, that is for sure.
While I was at the library I stepped into the Book Sale room, the Spring Friends of the Library Book sale had opened yesterday. I scored 10 books for $16, a nice price. Eight of them are theological books I plan to give away. I had to wade through Osteens, Lucados, Joyce Meyers, Gloria Copelands and other heretical books to get these. I snapped up some good ones and will give them to people in church who want them.
I also got two for myself. One is a coffee table sized book called Log Cabins, looking at architecture and interior design. I lived in a little bungalow on a lake for many years and I loved it. Fireplace and stone chimney, flagstone patio outside, all cedar walls inside. It's one of my design aesthetics. The other is a book labeled Chick Wit, funny books aimed at women. I thought I'd give it a try.
The puddles in the yard this week have been lake sized. This one has shrunk a lot since Thursday.
Flowers blooming!
Lines and shadows
Just a nice, rural yard, trailer, shed, trees, pergola...ahhh.
I was so tired yesterday that as I browsed at the Library Book Sale I could feel my energy literally draining away. I knew I was operating on fumes and to continue my plan to drive to The Special Store (vintage shop I love) and then Kroger to do groceries would be a stretch. I was stupid-tired. Plus I had a headache getting worse by the moment.
I drove home and put on my comfy clothes and actually fell asleep for two hours! That hasn't happened in a long time. I'm usually tired on Friday after school but I don't like to nap on weeknights. I woke up long enough to fry an egg and then after a little while went back to bed.
The good thing is I have lots of energy to enjoy this day, bask in warm sun, feel the crisp air, listen to the birds singing, and just...be.
I hope you have good moments this day to stop and as they say, smell the roses.
Sunday, March 01, 2020
Trying Almond Flour Pancakes
By Elizabeth Prata
I can't tolerate gluten, and that is a shame. But it's OK, nowadays there are plenty of substitutes. A dear friend gave me her almond flour and coconut flour. I thought, hm, I'll try my Sunday pancakes with almond flour, and found a recipe. Here is the process. BTW the egg is blue on top because of the leftover blueberry juice from the pancake that I'd cooked before I cracked the egg onto the griddle. :)
Recipe here: 5-Ingredient Almond Flour Pancakes
Nutrition info: Nutrition
Servings: 3 servings (2 pancakes each)
Serving size: 2 pancakes
Calories: 334kcal
Fat: 27.9g
Saturated fat: 3.9g
Carbohydrates: 11.2g
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 14.4g
I can't tolerate gluten, and that is a shame. But it's OK, nowadays there are plenty of substitutes. A dear friend gave me her almond flour and coconut flour. I thought, hm, I'll try my Sunday pancakes with almond flour, and found a recipe. Here is the process. BTW the egg is blue on top because of the leftover blueberry juice from the pancake that I'd cooked before I cracked the egg onto the griddle. :)
Recipe here: 5-Ingredient Almond Flour Pancakes
Nutrition info: Nutrition
Servings: 3 servings (2 pancakes each)
Serving size: 2 pancakes
Calories: 334kcal
Fat: 27.9g
Saturated fat: 3.9g
Carbohydrates: 11.2g
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 14.4g
Saturday, February 29, 2020
A Flowery Infinity
By Elizabeth Prata
Good Almost-March morning! Happy Leap-Day! I've got dueling roosters outside with a crisp morning dawning, and a snoring kitty inside with the gas fire popping and warming the place. And in my hand is this: hot coffee with chocolate caramel creamer and whipped cream!
RefNet is playing some good music as they always do on weekends when I wake up and put them in the background. It's Reformation Network, a ministry of Ligonier and a 24-hour channel that broadcasts online or with an App, sermons, music, news, devotionals, etc. Ahhh.
I'm so sensitive emotionally, physically, and autistically, that the right setting, ambiance, and background is critical for me to begin the day right. When i'm able by grace of God to create the above described setting, wave upon wave of contentedness washes over me and I'm just in a glorious state of being.
I have no plans for this weekend, just the usual: Saturday spend most of the day writing the essays for the week's blog, Sunday morning to prepare for Sunday School and church at 2:00 and 3:00 respectively, and small groups dinner and fellowship afterward. There are 4 weeks of normal school schedule and then the first week of April will be the Spring Break week off.
In preparation for upcoming nice weather I bought a Georgia State Parks pass! My goal is to go to a nearby State Park each week at least once, and walk around, photograph, just get out into nature. One of the parks is just 4 miles from me down the road. There are another about half a dozen near me within half an hour to 45 min away. I am a little scared because my car isn't the most reliable, but I do want to try and drive to these amazing places and enjoy the beauty that is rural north Georgia.
Pretty, isn't it? I took these about ten years ago when I used to go there more often. There are trails of various lengths and in different spots throughout the park. You are allowed to swim or wade in the river, and in the pond of the top picture there are paddle boats to rent or picnic tables to sit at.
We'll see how it goes. It is really hard for me to cut a new pathway in my brain and my life for a new habit.
The After-Valentines Day flower sale was on at Kroger. The sign said 'deep discounts, while supplies last' and the table was empty, with only a few leaves and scatterings of dirt on it. It looked wiped out like the marauding Visigoths had stormed through, but the cut flower stand was still full of flower bouquets of all sizes. I bought a bouquet of two roses with some lilies and greenery for $2.50.
Yes, I know that $2.50 spent on something that doesn't directly sustain me, like food, utilities, or gas for the car isn't a necessity, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE flowers. I enjoy having fresh flowers around the place. They are usually too expensive for me to buy regularly, but if they are on sale like this, a few times a year, I'll go for it. If I was ridiculously rich, I'd have new fresh flowers put in by my butler every 3 days.
I divided the bouquet into two, and put the roses with greenery into one vase by the teapots (natch!) and the lilies into my mid-century Lenox china bud vase on the stove. I have to remember to put them into the fridge at night because otherwise the cat will eat the flowers and leaves. Cats, huh?! I also know that the flowers are gone by and won't last but a day or two more, but oh well, meantime it's pretty! And pretty is what I am all about as the background and ambiance of my life. (Left, the vase, pattern, Wheat, gold wheat, gold trim, produced 1940-1982).
I hope you all have a marvelous day. Spring is in the air!
To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour. ~William Blake
Good Almost-March morning! Happy Leap-Day! I've got dueling roosters outside with a crisp morning dawning, and a snoring kitty inside with the gas fire popping and warming the place. And in my hand is this: hot coffee with chocolate caramel creamer and whipped cream!
I'm so sensitive emotionally, physically, and autistically, that the right setting, ambiance, and background is critical for me to begin the day right. When i'm able by grace of God to create the above described setting, wave upon wave of contentedness washes over me and I'm just in a glorious state of being.
I have no plans for this weekend, just the usual: Saturday spend most of the day writing the essays for the week's blog, Sunday morning to prepare for Sunday School and church at 2:00 and 3:00 respectively, and small groups dinner and fellowship afterward. There are 4 weeks of normal school schedule and then the first week of April will be the Spring Break week off.
In preparation for upcoming nice weather I bought a Georgia State Parks pass! My goal is to go to a nearby State Park each week at least once, and walk around, photograph, just get out into nature. One of the parks is just 4 miles from me down the road. There are another about half a dozen near me within half an hour to 45 min away. I am a little scared because my car isn't the most reliable, but I do want to try and drive to these amazing places and enjoy the beauty that is rural north Georgia.
Pretty, isn't it? I took these about ten years ago when I used to go there more often. There are trails of various lengths and in different spots throughout the park. You are allowed to swim or wade in the river, and in the pond of the top picture there are paddle boats to rent or picnic tables to sit at.
We'll see how it goes. It is really hard for me to cut a new pathway in my brain and my life for a new habit.
The After-Valentines Day flower sale was on at Kroger. The sign said 'deep discounts, while supplies last' and the table was empty, with only a few leaves and scatterings of dirt on it. It looked wiped out like the marauding Visigoths had stormed through, but the cut flower stand was still full of flower bouquets of all sizes. I bought a bouquet of two roses with some lilies and greenery for $2.50.
Yes, I know that $2.50 spent on something that doesn't directly sustain me, like food, utilities, or gas for the car isn't a necessity, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE flowers. I enjoy having fresh flowers around the place. They are usually too expensive for me to buy regularly, but if they are on sale like this, a few times a year, I'll go for it. If I was ridiculously rich, I'd have new fresh flowers put in by my butler every 3 days.
I hope you all have a marvelous day. Spring is in the air!
To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour. ~William Blake
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Food Prep this week: Feb 24-28
By Elizabeth Prata
What a morning this has been! Cold and clear, fading stars twinkling their last as the sun comes up in a blaze of color. Pinks, lavender, reds, dandelion yellow raining down in the air as the street was awash with a riot of hues and the stars said goodbye while the birds and the sun sang hello.
I enjoyed the birdsong this morning as I strolled outside. Through the winter some birds stay around, which I love. The dearth of sounds in Maine winters, except for creaking branches and occasional branches breaking under strain of ice, and the scrape of plows, was something I never really got used to. I love that there is some birdsong all through the year in Georgia.
But in February all the migrating birds come back! When I opened the front door today to view the sunrise, the riot of sounds was a delightful wave of bird songs and calls. The rooster next door of course was doing his cock-a-doodle-doo thing, and in the trees, alive with movement in the gloaming, were birds singing and calling. When it lightened up enough, I spotted this cardinal having a party of one in the highest treetop, singing to whoever would listen:
Friday is payday. I have a good amount of food left so I'm not going to do a huge shopping today. I'll cook what I have. This includes:
Proteins/Dinners:
Frozen salmon
Frozen shrimp
Leftovers. We're having dinner after church today and they allow us to pack some leftovers to take home. Usually it's chicken.
Lunches
Lentil soup
Crudite: radishes, carrots, celery
Veggies/Sides
Spaghetti squash is in the crock pot. It comes out pillow soft. And I don't need to mess with it prior to cooking which is dangerous. The rind is thick and it's hard to cut. I just poke a few holes in it and pop it in as is, cover, and set the crock to high.
Peppers. I got a great deal on some colored peppers. Red/yellow/green in a bag for 99 cents. I bought two bags. One pepper went into the lentil soup. The others are being sauted and will be mixed with quinoa for salads or mixed with eggs for dinner or breakfast.
Eggplant. I also got a deal of two eggplants for 99 cents. I bought two bags. One became a caponata last week. This week I'll do the same, and mix in some quinoa for protein. I can also mix it with the spaghetti squash.
Greens. I still have some greens and will make salad to go with the salmon or the shrimp.
Dessert/Snacks
Fruit. Grapes and Strawberries. And whatever else is on sale this afternoon when I go to the store after church
Edamame nuts, a high fiber, low carb snack that is pretty crunchy (mouth feel) and pretty filling (stomach feel).
Popcorn. I don't have a microwave or popcorn machine. I just make it the old fashioned way on the stovetop.
I'm deliberately not buying potatoes or gluten free bread this week. We'll see how it goes.
So... I broke down and bought a stepstool. I can't reach the top of the shower curtain rings to change out the liner, and I can't reach the curtain tops to take them down and wash. The days of climbing precariously on some stack of books or a rolling chair are gone. The days of standing on tiptoe on the tub lip are gone too. I'm not limber, I'm too clumsy, and I live alone. It's foolish to take chances.
I guess I really am over the hill and picking up speed on the downslide!
Enjoy your week! Meanwhile enjoy these pics of fresh wildflowers, just starting to bloom in the yard
And this unknown guy, hundreds of feet away, he looked pretty sizable but I can't figure out what kind of bird it is
What a morning this has been! Cold and clear, fading stars twinkling their last as the sun comes up in a blaze of color. Pinks, lavender, reds, dandelion yellow raining down in the air as the street was awash with a riot of hues and the stars said goodbye while the birds and the sun sang hello.
I enjoyed the birdsong this morning as I strolled outside. Through the winter some birds stay around, which I love. The dearth of sounds in Maine winters, except for creaking branches and occasional branches breaking under strain of ice, and the scrape of plows, was something I never really got used to. I love that there is some birdsong all through the year in Georgia.
But in February all the migrating birds come back! When I opened the front door today to view the sunrise, the riot of sounds was a delightful wave of bird songs and calls. The rooster next door of course was doing his cock-a-doodle-doo thing, and in the trees, alive with movement in the gloaming, were birds singing and calling. When it lightened up enough, I spotted this cardinal having a party of one in the highest treetop, singing to whoever would listen:
Friday is payday. I have a good amount of food left so I'm not going to do a huge shopping today. I'll cook what I have. This includes:
Proteins/Dinners:
Frozen salmon
Frozen shrimp
Leftovers. We're having dinner after church today and they allow us to pack some leftovers to take home. Usually it's chicken.
Lunches
Lentil soup
Crudite: radishes, carrots, celery
Veggies/Sides
Spaghetti squash is in the crock pot. It comes out pillow soft. And I don't need to mess with it prior to cooking which is dangerous. The rind is thick and it's hard to cut. I just poke a few holes in it and pop it in as is, cover, and set the crock to high.
Peppers. I got a great deal on some colored peppers. Red/yellow/green in a bag for 99 cents. I bought two bags. One pepper went into the lentil soup. The others are being sauted and will be mixed with quinoa for salads or mixed with eggs for dinner or breakfast.
Eggplant. I also got a deal of two eggplants for 99 cents. I bought two bags. One became a caponata last week. This week I'll do the same, and mix in some quinoa for protein. I can also mix it with the spaghetti squash.
Greens. I still have some greens and will make salad to go with the salmon or the shrimp.
Dessert/Snacks
Fruit. Grapes and Strawberries. And whatever else is on sale this afternoon when I go to the store after church
Edamame nuts, a high fiber, low carb snack that is pretty crunchy (mouth feel) and pretty filling (stomach feel).
Popcorn. I don't have a microwave or popcorn machine. I just make it the old fashioned way on the stovetop.
I'm deliberately not buying potatoes or gluten free bread this week. We'll see how it goes.
So... I broke down and bought a stepstool. I can't reach the top of the shower curtain rings to change out the liner, and I can't reach the curtain tops to take them down and wash. The days of climbing precariously on some stack of books or a rolling chair are gone. The days of standing on tiptoe on the tub lip are gone too. I'm not limber, I'm too clumsy, and I live alone. It's foolish to take chances.
I guess I really am over the hill and picking up speed on the downslide!
Enjoy your week! Meanwhile enjoy these pics of fresh wildflowers, just starting to bloom in the yard
And this unknown guy, hundreds of feet away, he looked pretty sizable but I can't figure out what kind of bird it is
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Good Saturday Morning!
By Elizabeth Prata
It's a very frosty morning here in north Georgia. The rain has ceased for the moment and the day looks to be dawning clear, cold and bright.
Here are some photos I took of the frost at sunrise-
I'm looking forward to the day, even the cleaning I've put on my to-do list, lol. We had a hectic week at school, even though last Monday was a day off. But for some reason, shorter weeks are always harder. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we had half days for the kids, due to Parent Conferences. Again, the different schedule seems to make the kids a bit wild. And on Friday we had a two-hour school delay start tot he day due to black ice. Phew.
I went up to The Special Store, my favorite vintage store in all the world, for a little retail therapy. I had decided to buy some throw pillows for the classroom. On Fridays one of the small group reading groups I do is simply reading self-selected books. I tell the kids they can lay around on the floor or sit in any chair at any table to read for the 40 minutes. Other than school furniture, the room does not have anything soft in it. I'd like to get a rug, but for now, I decided to add some throw pillows to the room so the students that choose to lay on the floor will have something soft to lean against.
Of course, I needed to get the same amount of pillows of students that I have so no one would be left out, plus an extra or two in case I receive a new student. That's a lot of throw pillows, at least 8 or 10. Expensive. Where can I go? Yes, the Special Store.
Along the say I'd stopped at the Dollar General to buy hangers and lo and behold they had a 50% off sale on pillows. I bought some body pillows and a throw pillow. Then at the Special Store, 5 more for $2 each.
I also got a pencil sharpener! Wonderful! Mine broke 2 weeks ago and it's really inconvenient not to have one in the room. This rotation I have directions for both my reading groups to do a lot of writing. And there was a pencil sharpener for $5. How great.
I splurged and bought a book, yes a book, for $1: a first edition Agatha Christie from 1959, "Cat Among the Pigeons." I started it last night and I love it. It's not worth anything. I just like saying "first edition Agatha Christie" because I am a book snob.
I also love the dust jacket art:
The cookbook is part of the aforementioned in previous essay a freebie. You get a free piece of art or a free cookbook with a purchase. Last time I'd gotten the "Classic French Cooking" from the famous cookbook series "Time/Life Foods of the World" series. The original hardcover cookbooks in the series contain fabulous photos, I'm told. I read through many of the recipes last night and they are wonderful.
These spiral books are like an appendix to the hardcover main series, with supplemental recipes. The Provincial French Cooking has apparently risen to the top in the series in terms of belovedness and enduring fame. It's written by MFK Fisher and was the first to be published in the series in 1968.
Here's some chatter about these cookbooks:
I hope you enjoy your day whether it's cold or warn, in or out. Whatever you're doing, remember, time goes quickly and soon the kids will be grown and gone, the day will end, the bad circumstance will resolve, the Monday will come! Capture every moment and enjoy in the Lord.
It's a very frosty morning here in north Georgia. The rain has ceased for the moment and the day looks to be dawning clear, cold and bright.
Here are some photos I took of the frost at sunrise-
I'm looking forward to the day, even the cleaning I've put on my to-do list, lol. We had a hectic week at school, even though last Monday was a day off. But for some reason, shorter weeks are always harder. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we had half days for the kids, due to Parent Conferences. Again, the different schedule seems to make the kids a bit wild. And on Friday we had a two-hour school delay start tot he day due to black ice. Phew.
I went up to The Special Store, my favorite vintage store in all the world, for a little retail therapy. I had decided to buy some throw pillows for the classroom. On Fridays one of the small group reading groups I do is simply reading self-selected books. I tell the kids they can lay around on the floor or sit in any chair at any table to read for the 40 minutes. Other than school furniture, the room does not have anything soft in it. I'd like to get a rug, but for now, I decided to add some throw pillows to the room so the students that choose to lay on the floor will have something soft to lean against.
Of course, I needed to get the same amount of pillows of students that I have so no one would be left out, plus an extra or two in case I receive a new student. That's a lot of throw pillows, at least 8 or 10. Expensive. Where can I go? Yes, the Special Store.
Along the say I'd stopped at the Dollar General to buy hangers and lo and behold they had a 50% off sale on pillows. I bought some body pillows and a throw pillow. Then at the Special Store, 5 more for $2 each.
I also got a pencil sharpener! Wonderful! Mine broke 2 weeks ago and it's really inconvenient not to have one in the room. This rotation I have directions for both my reading groups to do a lot of writing. And there was a pencil sharpener for $5. How great.
I splurged and bought a book, yes a book, for $1: a first edition Agatha Christie from 1959, "Cat Among the Pigeons." I started it last night and I love it. It's not worth anything. I just like saying "first edition Agatha Christie" because I am a book snob.
I also love the dust jacket art:
The cookbook is part of the aforementioned in previous essay a freebie. You get a free piece of art or a free cookbook with a purchase. Last time I'd gotten the "Classic French Cooking" from the famous cookbook series "Time/Life Foods of the World" series. The original hardcover cookbooks in the series contain fabulous photos, I'm told. I read through many of the recipes last night and they are wonderful.
These spiral books are like an appendix to the hardcover main series, with supplemental recipes. The Provincial French Cooking has apparently risen to the top in the series in terms of belovedness and enduring fame. It's written by MFK Fisher and was the first to be published in the series in 1968.
Here's some chatter about these cookbooks:
This has been called the cookbook series that any cookbook collector MUST own, or they aren’t a real cookbook collector! The reason these are so highly sought after is the amazing depth and range of recipes in them, extremely remarkable and noteworthy for 1968. They were discontinued in part due to complaints that ingredients were hard to acquire for the home cook. Not so anymore. And these recipes are just fantastic!Another woman wrote that these recipes never fail. This article extols the cookbooks, too-
Published in the late ’60s, Time-Life’s Foods of the World cookbook series was a good 50 years before its time. Truly from the golden age of publishing, these books were intended to educate and entertain. Today, the authentically ethnic and American regional cookbooks have a certain charm as the “exotic” ingredients introduced are readily available in supermarkets today—things like chorizo, tahini, hoisin sauce, fresh bay leaves and jasmine rice.Since the ingredients are available today more and more people are turning back to these old cookbook standbys and a new generation is enjoying them all the more. I don't plan to make many of the recipes, but I like seeing the write-ups, the photos, and the nostalgia factor. My mother had the set, or at least, most of them that I remember.
I hope you enjoy your day whether it's cold or warn, in or out. Whatever you're doing, remember, time goes quickly and soon the kids will be grown and gone, the day will end, the bad circumstance will resolve, the Monday will come! Capture every moment and enjoy in the Lord.
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