Sunday, February 4, 2018

Light & Lasagna

Hi friends,

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend.

I had a mostly indoors weekend though I did get out for a short time on Saturday mostly to post mail and pick up some milk.  I also spent a lot of time online pricing and looking for various light bulbs. It seems all of a sudden my hallway lights, oven light, dining room lights and bathroom lights, including a heat lamp bulb, all needed replacing. Most of the bulbs I needed were found at Walmart but they had an even better selection at Canadian Tire.

My oh my, bulbs can certainly be expensive. I haven't had to buy any for awhile because I usually buy ahead and store some but needed to replenish my stock. Personally I've found that even if I buy more expensive bulbs they don't seem to last any longer so I'd rather buy less expensive ones.

About one third of the bulbs purchased.


Now I know energy consumption and conservation are issues and I do take them seriously. I minimize the power usage as best I can. Lights are not kept on very often. Only when necessary. Whether to turn lights off when you leave the room depends very much on the type of light bulb you are using.  If you are interested you can read more about it here.

Also I use the lowest wattage possible especially when a fixture requires more than one bulb. Not only does it consume too much energy to use a higher wattage but the bulbs also throw a lot of heat.  I  buy flood lights for the hallways and for my floor lamps which are LED lights.  I detest the light provided by the flood lights. Even though they are the "right" wattage and lumens, the light they give is so minimal and so cold looking.  To be honest I can barely see in my bedroom hallway.  But I use them anyway because it is actually difficult at times to find just the right bulbs and I will make do with what I have. Maybe there is a different brand that is better but when I've looked in stores these kind of bulbs are usually only made by 2 different manufacturers (GE and NOMA).


It rained heavily but today (Sunday) the sky broke for a bit and I managed to get some lovely sky shots.

The sky looks like there is light behind the clouds.

I made lasagna for dinner.  I'm hungry and look forward to eating since I'm hungry.  I've only ever made lasagna about 3 times in my life as it isn't something I crave very often. I just had it a few days ago as part of a buffet in a restaurant. The lasagna was not good at all. It was so dry and tasteless.  But I didn't go to the restaurant for lasagna, that was just a side thing I decided to try. I was mainly there for the BBQ ribs and salad bar which were delicious. They also had a lot of beautiful desserts but I was so full after salad, soup and main course dishes that I had very little room left for dessert.

Lasagna before baking.

I don't have a recipe to share for the lasagna. I cobbled together a few recipes from on line as I didn't have exactly everything for one particular recipe. There are some simpler recipes that don't call for ricotta or cottage cheese but I wanted cottage cheese in mine.  I also wanted to use some fresh spinach I have since I won't be making salad today. I might just cut up some English cucumber slices and have some grape tomatoes on the side.  I used no boil lasagna noodles though I know some ladies use the regular noodles and they add a bit of water in the pan before the dish goes into the oven.  The water helps the noodles cook. The lasagna was very delicious and there is a lot left over for freezing and future meals.

The finished product.

I tried and failed to get a good macro shot of a slice of lasagna.
I'm not sure why but since I had my eye surgery I find it difficult to get good indoor macro shots.  Maybe it's just the night shots in winter. I'll have to see how things progress.

That lack of clarity in taking photos is the only real change I've noticed since I had lens implants.
Has anyone else experienced this issue?
I am continuing with the Systane Balance and thanks to Eileen I checked into the prices at Walmart.
I'm happy to say the price is much better there and I can get two in one box so that keeps me from running low too quickly.

~~~~~~~

The weeks ahead


I've got plans to see friends I haven't seen in a long while, get several doctor and dentist appointments out of the way and hopefully participate in a workshop or two.

If you caught my last post here you'll see I've also got a lot of reading (and I've added more books!), crafting, paperwork and so on. I don't expect I will get a lot of these things done this coming week but I have enough on my plate to keep me busy with fun things in February. Well, mostly fun things. I don't enjoy the paperwork largely related to financial matters.

 ~~~

The Black Panther, the new Marvel Comics movie is being released on February 16th and my brother and I are looking forward to it.  We don't do so many things together but we do like to go to Marvel Comic movies together. We also like to see Star Wars and Star Trek movies when we can but we also try and take our niece and nephew when it works out. We are all fans of these movies.
I still haven't seen the latest Star Wars movie because I had hoped to see it with my niece.
Then I delayed my travel due to illness. I won't be able to travel soon so I may end up having to see it as a rental. I prefer to see it on the big screen.

~~~
Wishing you an awesome week ahead.

26 comments:

affectioknit said...

Hi Penny,
We've been switching to LEDs as our CFLs and incandescents burn out...and I do love a good lasagna...
~Affectioknit-ly,
Teresa

Red said...

I haven't got any LEDs but I know they're coming.

diane b said...

Since we have moved into a retirement village we don't have to worry about light bulbs any more, before we had LCD lights and found them okay. You can get different colours like warm and daylight. Did you know that it was a light bulb manufacturer who invented the throw away society. Osram invented a light bulb that lasted ages but found he wasn't selling enough so he started making them to purposely not last too long so that customers would have to buy new ones more often. Other manufacturers followed suit. So now days our white goods and just about everything doesn't last as long as they used to and we have to throw away more stuff more often as it is usually cheaper to buy a new one than get one fixed. I bought a Canon printer/scanner for $19.00 with 2 ink cartridges. It was cheaper than buying 2 new ink cartridges. I needed a new one because the old one had a white line running through the photos I was scanning.

Joyful said...

You are likely one of the few people I "know" who hasn't started using LEDs, at least in part.

Joyful said...

That's good to hear Teresa. Every bit helps.

Joyful said...

Hi Diane, I didn't know about Osram. I really detest the throwaway society we have become though. Long ago I realized that appliances and many things are no longer built to last. Sadly that has occurred with virtually everything we buy. There are still many people who do not think about what it is they are buying and throwing away and how it impacts on the environment. Lately there is a lot of buzz about clothing waste. You got an awesome deal on your ink cartridges. If I could find that sort of deal I would purchase some ink for my printer which has been "out" for some time. I go to the local post office to print what I want, lol. It is much cheaper.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Your lasagna looks delicious! I used to make it at holidays it when my entire family gathers but now a half of my family only eats glute free due to one grandchild's allergy to gluten, so I don't amke it often any longer.

I agree we all have to do our part to help our planet's environment and I use LED bulbs too, and actually prefer them as they lost very long.

Enjoy seeing Black Panther at the movies! My last movie was Paddington Bear 2 with a granddaughter. It was cute and funny!

Nancy Chan said...

We are slowly replacing the old ones with LED lights. I love lasagna but I have only made it once.

Joyful said...

Hi Pat, I bet your lasagna is delicious. I certainly understand about not making it often now due to gluten sensitivities. It seems almost all my friends have some allergy or another. It makes inviting them to a meal at my home very difficult. I have allergies myself and probably shouldn't eat some of the things I do. Little by little I'm making changes.

I'm hoping I get to see Paddington Bear 2 with my niece too though that might wait for an On Demand movie when she visits me.

Joyful said...

Hi Nancy, so glad you could stop by. It's great to hear you are replacing your bulbs over time. That is the way to go especially since they are quite expensive. I imagine that in your climate lasagna might be a bit too heavy. Here it is winter so it is perfect.

Rhodesia said...

Bulbs are expensive here and yes they do not seem to last that well either!! Love your sky photo. Also I am very fond of lasagna, one of my favourites dishes but my recipe takes quite a long time, the end result though is very special. Have a good week, Diane

Joyful said...

Hi Diane, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels the prices don't seem to match the longevity of the bulbs. I'm sure your lasagna tastes great. I think you have shown us many delicious looking recipes over the years.

Jeanie said...

Your life and upcoming plans sound very busy and full of fun, which is just the way you want life to be. Ah, lasagna. When it's good, it's the best, but when it's dry, not so much! I think your photo looks fine, by the way. And light bulbs. Oh, they are now so expensive and you know, I haven't seen a bit of change in my electric bill for using the new ones. Oh well...

Hootin Anni said...

My son (in his 40s) LOVES the Marvel movies! Great looking lasagna...makes me hungry. And beautiful sky!!!

Valerie said...

That finished lasagne looks very inviting! Thank you for sharing :-)

David M. Gascoigne, said...

These days we usually make vegetarian lasagna, which is delicious. We generally eat half the day we bake it and freeze the other half to be eaten when we have been out for the whole day, when we can take it our of the freezer, heat it up and we have a delicious homemade meal.

Joyful said...

Thank you Jeanie. I look forward to connecting with some friends after spending so much of January indoors. I agree that the bulbs are so expensive and they don't seem to make much of a dent in the electric bill though I've read that a household can save about $75 a year just by switching over to the newer efficient bulbs. My concern is that some of the newer bulbs don't see to give off a comparable amount of light. In winter in my home I need bright lights.

Joyful said...

That's great Annie. I grew up reading all kinds of Marvel comics and so now I get to "relive" a happy childhood through the Marvel movies. Enjoy your week ahead. xx

Joyful said...

Thanks for stopping by Valerie!

Joyful said...

I do like vegetarian lasagna but have yet to make any. I agree that lasagna is great for freezing. I've frozen for several meals ahead. It will make dinners a little easier for several days when I will return home late. Enjoy your week ahead David.

Dianna said...

Your lasagna looks gorgeous and I am certain that it tasted every bit as good as it looks! I would be interested in learning more about your lens implants. My husband is going to be having eye surgery in a few weeks. Maybe I need to go back and read some of your previous posts. Have a wonderful week!

Joyful said...

Hi Dianna, thanks for stopping by. I've sent you an email with a link to my earlier posts on the surgery outcomes and also to a youtube video to learn more about the procedure. If you have any specific questions please feel free to send me an email.

Forest Dream Weaver said...

Wow ... beautiful creation ... and yummy too!

annie said...

The lasagna looks delicious! I bet it was too.
Hope you enjoy the movie, let us know what you thought.
I think that you got a perfect picture of the sky. Its lovely. :)

jabbott said...

I love marvel and DC too, but don't get out to the cinema as often as I would like.

The lasagna looks fab I used to make one occasionally,I prefer making my own as I can make the white sauce with soya milk, than a milk based one you would get at shops and restaurants. Yours looks and I bet tasted delicious xxx

Powell River Books said...

I love lasagna, but haven't made it for a while. Spaghetti and meatballs is easier so it has been a recent replacement for me. - Margy

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