Tuesday 4 ~ Just Wondering

 This Tuesday 4 is from Monday December 9. 2019.

A Repeat ~ Just Wondering

1.   When was the last time you tried something new?

Hmm, I guess I don't try new things that often. I suppose I could say it was a recipe for English scones which I made last night. I've made similar baked goods before but this one was with buttermilk. I suppose it's the proper way. I just so happened to have buttermilk on hand because dear hubby accidentally mistook it for cream.  Although the recipe was for English scones, I added blueberries, an ingredient that I don't think the English use in scones. The recipe greatly understated the amount of buttermilk required. I could have added more than I did but they still taste great. (I bake rarely these days due to being a Type 2 diabetic.  Over the years I've had to change my diet but there are times when I am not so disciplined.  To be honest, I just get fatigued from thinking about it all the time).

2.   Who in your family do you compare yourself to?

No one except perhaps my mother in certain circumstances like cooking and sewing because she was so good at both. A natural talent whereas I am not, but I keep trying. Update: After reading the answers from others, I realize I didn't understand the question. I'm like my mother in very many ways: stature, resemblance except for skin colouring, some aspects of personality, work ethic, many interests and values. But I'm also like my father in several ways: build, complexion and colouring, personality & work ethic.  My mom however told me often that I reminded her of her grandmother. She was referring to her grandmother's patience. I always found this an interesting observation since I personally didn't think I was so patient though my assessment of self has since changed. I think I became more patient with age.

3.   What lesson in life did you learn the hard way?

Sometimes you will stand alone in life so you must learn to be strong and have strong faith in God.

4.   What can you do today that you weren't able to do before?

I don't think there is anything I can really point to except perhaps walking. I thank God I could always walk but some years back (I forget what year it was), I was suddenly stricken with osteoarthritis and couldn't walk for many months. I was in excruciating pain and gained a lot of weight. I tried getting better by diet, supplements, acupuncture etc. Finally, I learned about something called rehab poles for walking. They are a lot like like Nordic walking poles.  I started using those and going for short walks. I also learned about whole body vibration (WBV) and started using WBV machine every day.  It took well over a year but I was finally able to walk without agonizing pain. Now the arthritis did not go away and from time to time and I still suffer on a daily basis but nothing like I did several years ago.  Also,  I can still walk. I take at least one pole with me every time I leave the house.  It helps me go farther and keeps me upright. I did have one big arthritic attack last year and that was difficult but the recovery didn't take as long. I had the benefit of physiotherapy and my poles to help. I'm happy to say I lost the weight I gained due to sitting so much.

Baking Memories and New Plans

I love sweets. I always have. When I was much younger I used to bake a lot of sweets because back in those days we didn't eat a lot of them.  Though mother did bake most of our breads and the occasional cakes, pies, pudding or cinnamon buns it wasn't like we had dessert every day. I think these were considered an occasional treat or something for special occasions and holidays. 

I wanted it more often so I began experimenting making my own brownies, a variety of cookies, pies and other things I no longer remember. I even tried making ice cream from a little cook book for kids that I'd sent away for from the Carnation Milk company.  Perhaps some of you remember the cookbook.

Paperback selling on Amazon for $35.

If you wrote to the evaporated milk company you got a free copy. I see it is selling on line for a lot more than 'free'.   Even if I found my cookbook it would fetch nothing because somehow I burned the front pages quite badly though I don't remember how it happened. I still used the recipes that were not scorched, lol.

After a couple of years learning and experimenting I stopped baking altogether. I was worried I might gain too much weight.  I was always on the larger side even though I didn't eat that much. In fact, mother always used to worry about me because I never ate breakfast, hardly touched lunch and ate sparingly at dinner time. I just didn't have such a big appetite and most time I still don't. But if you give me a pastry, I'll probably try and eat it. So I stopped making baked goodies for that reason. I never really started baking again until retirement because then I more time to figure out how to bake breads and other things. 

Some of you know that I've had T2D now for some years.  As you age, the most diabetes generally get worse. I've really learned to eat differently and have tried all kinds of different ways of eating. I think the best approach is intermittent fasting but I still find it difficult.  Even if you do all the right things I find you get fatigued from always having to be vigilant.  

I also know that I still have a love of baked goods.  Some of them are sweet and of course a lot of them have a high carbohydrate content. So I'm finally going to try and learn how to bake goods using alternatives to white flour and other grains. I will go slowly so as not to stress myself. I been wanting to do this for a long while and I've picked up some good library books to get started. If I find one I like very much I may buy it but there is so much online for free too.

Here are some books I picked up. Most of them look very good. Not all of them are baking books. The big one called Simple Healthy is a regular cookbook. I bought a few ingredients to try out some regular meals before embarking on baking adventures.

I gravitate toward simple recipes.  Ones that don't needs a lot of fuss or a high number of ingredients. The Simple Healthy Cookbook seems to fit the bill. I like the look of the bakery books too but not yet sure how complicated things are.

Let me know if you have any experience with baking sugar free and gluten free and whether you have any cookbooks or websites to recommend. Many thanks!

Weekend

For those of you who do the majority of the cooking in your household, do you ever get tired of it or not feel up to making the meal? I've found I've cooked a lot more than ever during the pandemic and unlike some folks I have barely ordered food from anywhere to eat in or have it delivered. 

It hasn't been easy as many of you will already know to dine in at most places. Additionally I always think I can make dinner in the time it takes to place an order and have it delivered.  But every now and then I need a change. 

The dinner in the photo below was what we had on Friday. It is a Vietnamese dish of Lemon Grass chicken and rice noodles, salad and a roll dip with vinegar sauce. It was so delicious. I've yet to try making anything other than salad rolls (made with rice paper) and I know and I keep telling myself to get started learning how to at least make some lemon grass chicken and Pad Thai noodles.

 

Saturday night I made stir fried noodles with vegetables and spices (sweet chili sauce, garlic, onions, carrots, zucchini and bell peppers).  I made stir fried beef with onions in soya sauce to go along with it.It was quite nice too. Sunday dinner will be some roasted steak meat along with some roasted vegetables and salad. An easy dinner in the oven and a bag kit for the salad.

I had a bit of a sweet craving and I decided to use up a can of blueberry pie filling. I made a lazy pie with store bought dough, a can of blueberry pie filling to which I added some frozen berries. It was okay but I didn't much like the taste of the pie crust. I will have to make my own next time but I wanted to at least see how the ready made tastes.

 

Have any of you seen the Netflix series called The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window?  What did you think of it?  I watched all 7 episodes over Friday and Saturday. It's a dark comedy/thriller/mystery and "borrows heavily" from the movie The Woman in the Window starring Amy Adams. Overall it was okay but a bit hokey in parts and there was some weak writing here and there.  One such example is the overuse of the word "bingo" uttered by Kristen Bell who plays the series lead. This might not have been that noticeable except that it was used only in the last 1.5 hours of the series so came across as overused.

I also watched Room 2806:  The Accusation a documentary film following events arising from the 2011 sexual assault case involving French politician, Dominique Strauss-Khan (DSK). I had heard about the sexual assault allegation on the news but had not followed the case or known exactly what happened to DSK. Some of you might remember that he was head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the time of the charges against him and a very powerful person in the world's system.  He was heavily favoured to become the next Prime Minister of France after Sarkozy before the accusation ended his career and political aspirations.

Two books I picked up from the library on Friday are underway.  They are rather different from one another. The Lemon Tree Hotel is about a family run hotel located in the Cinque Terra region of Italy. It's a pleasant, romantic novel which makes for some lighter subject matter.  Not a Happy Family is a murder mystery of an elderly, wealthy couple whose offspring all have reason to come under suspicion for the demise of their parents. I haven't gotten far enough along to see what the details are as of yet but the author, Shari Lapena is Canadian and I've read another of her books, The Couple Next Door which I enjoyed.

I've had a good weekend so far.  On Sunday I have a lot of little administrative and paperwork tasks to do and I also hope to do some reading. Lest you think I only cooked and ate and watched television, I did manage to do some errands and wash and fold some laundry. 

Thank you to one of my blog readers, Jeanie from The Marmalade Gypsy who helped me figure out a way to leave comments on blogs once again. Saturday was the first time in a very long while that I was able to not only visit several blogs but also leave comments. Thank you too for your visit today. I appreciate you.

December is Here

 Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

 

 I hope you are all doing well.

I'm just popping in to wish you all a very wonderful December. We've all gone through some rough patches for a very long time. Now we are in the last month of the year. Let us usher it in with peace, love and determination to be joyful no matter the circumstances we may face. It isn't always easy to be joyful or grateful but we can try.

As I usher in this last month of the year, I am setting my mind to enjoyment and relaxation as much as I possibly can (watching television, listening to music, a bit of crafting and maybe baking). I am also doing my best to finish up and clear away old business and get back to some good, daily practices.

Over the past year I've been working with the Fly Lady system, mostly just doing the morning and evening routines and not always all of them each and every day.  One of the daily routines is shining the sink after washing dishes.

 

 

I am also remembering to look after myself better and work on the things that have piled up over the years. I am making great progress and need to continue moving forward in all these areas. In this last month I will add two daily practices, or at least as often as I can. I will be more committed to daily exercise and to daily acknowledgement of the things for which I am grateful. I have done both of these practices before but have slipped over time so I am back at it, lol. Today, in the exercise routine I really was so winded and so this renewed practice comes at a good time.

Some of my long time readers to this blog will know that I have often baked bread and I've enjoyed doing it.  Over the past year or more,  I cut back on most of my baking due to blood sugar issues. However I was watching someone's vlog the other day and I was motivated to make some bread again. This is Amish Bread. It uses far more sugar than I need or want but anyway I've baked it and I will try it the way it is supposed to be made. I will likely bake it again but next time only use 2 tablespoons of sugar which I've read some bakers have done with no ill effect. If you are interested in baking it I've linked the recipe I used here. Now the bread has cooled and I had a slice with butter. Oh my. It's seriously tasty. Even so, next time, reduced sugar for me but if you have no glucose issues, try the original recipe. I'm sure you would love it if you like bread.

I actually haven't had flour in my home for awhile but recently our highway was destroyed and long haul truckers were hampered in bringing in supplies to the big city. I bought a bit of flour to have on hand because people tend to buy out all the stock of many things the moment there is some kind of emergency.  

 

The highway will not be reopened until late January and only to commercial traffic when it does reopen. At this point, it's up in the air as to how long there will be highway closure for recreational travel. Trucks are delivering various commodities through an alternative, less direct and probably more difficult route but there are delays.

My gratitude for today then is for my safety and the safety of my loved ones.  Also for the flour and other food that I have on hand despite the highway and other food supply issues.

Thanks for stopping by.

This and That

 Hi friends,

It's been a busy week and I've been fighting a cold. It is something I fight every year in October when the weather transitions from warm autumn to cooler autumn. It's a bummer but it is what it is.

This October I have been busy decluttering and I've written about it in this space from time to time, not just in October but over the past long while. Some weeks and months I do much more in terms of decluttering than other weeks and months.  This  month the kitchen seems to be getting a lot of attention and so far I've gotten rid of many items from my small cupboards.  Metal bake ware, plastics and Tupperware which are long past their prime and lots and lots of glass jars, plastic and metal coffee containers, papers, cardboard and so on have been recycled.  I also got rid of lots of small items from the bathroom and many items from the closet, dresser drawers and shoes I no longer fit or need, have been given away. Several items were taken to the storage unit in the building and one standing fan had to be taken to the recycling center. I also have 2 large metal patio chairs which are past their better days. If they fit in the car they too can go to the recycling center.  Otherwise I'm not sure when I can take them.

In between decluttering jobs, I clean the cobwebs from the corners. Literally.  I did this less than 6 months ago but the cobwebs seem to accumulate very quickly as does the dust. I've been trying to keep on top of it all.  There is still a lot to recycle and to get rid of but I'm starting to see a real difference in the spaces in my home. I will keep at it and when I am all done with the tasks I will see what I can do to free up actual floor space.  I am not aiming for a minimalist home as such. But I am aiming to pare down the items I use and keep only what I actually use.  I intend to keep doing my hobbies too and hobbies tend to take up a lot of space.  I am trying to find a happy balance for daily living and for hobbies, some of which may be more sporadic.

I'm still doing Flylady routines almost every day.  It seems to help everything run more smoothly even though I haven't implemented the full Flylady system. Once I get started on doing things and cleaning things I just keep on going.  It means much more is getting done every week.

The weather here has been beautifully sunny this past week with the exception of Friday when it poured rain.  But it has also been very cold. I took some garden photos on Saturday. I'm sharing what might be the last of my garden photos for this year.

 

It has now been about 2 months since I did any work in the garden so I'm amazed at how well the plants have done though many of them are way past their prime.  This week I noticed that the pansies and the petunias are pretty much done. I think it was simply too cold for them as our temperatures went down to 4 at night. The geraniums are still producing a lot of new blooms but I'm not sure how long that will continue. 

Something was eating the leaves in  my garden this year but they didn't touch the leaves of most of the flowers. This is the first time I've had this happen and I'm not certain whether it is pests, rodents, or my neighbour's cat.

 

In any case, I am hoping that I will put the garden to rest by the end of October and wash and cover the patio chair cushions. I don't have storage for the patio things but I do try to keep the cushions out of the rain over the winter and I move the table umbrella and the table and chairs so they are no so directly impacted by the winter elements. As a side note, I read that the Farmer's Almanac forecast is for a mild November and a very cold winter.  The other day, our local meteorologist said that this year we are experiencing La Niña.  La Niña refers to the periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific and is the colder counterpart of El Niño.

The Black Eyed Susans have now lost all their yellow petals.

But the zinnias have new buds! I can't believe it. But they were very late to bloom this year and maybe they are confused.  The photo shows evidence of my neglect of the garden over the past 2 months since summer ended.

When it gets cold outside I usually start baking.  I saw this cinnamon loaf at Mari's Blog called My Little Corner of the World.  Check it out if you like cinnamon and sweets. I misread the recipe and ended up making two loaves but I only put frosting on one of them.  After trying both, I think it is better with frosting.  Overall though, the recipe is to sweet for me and I have to be careful about that due to blood sugar issues.

On Friday I went to the hospital to have a colonoscopy. I had one just under a year ago but the doctor couldn't find the one small cyst she thought she saw during that exam so I had to return in 6 months.  The follow up appointment was delayed due to Covid 19 and I also put off the appointment as long as I could.  But I had to get it over with or forfeit my spot in the GI follow up care and Friday was the day.  This time the doctor had a good look around she discovered I didn't have a cyst after all.  What she saw last time was actually a part of the colon itself. That was good news. 

She did find something, but it wasn't quite a cyst. I'm not sure what it is called but she said they are common and are often left intact. I suggested she cut it out anyway and she agreed. It will be biopsied as per the usual practice. 

The good news is I don't need to have another procedure for 5 years and I'm very happy about that.  Not only do I dislike the preparation but I get very nervous about the procedure itself. They sedate me but I am wide awake as per my preference. Due to the light sedation I didn't even need 10 minute recovery afterward.  They let me go but not before making sure my ride was there as stated.  I took a few photos but haven't posted any with people due to privacy issues.

Photo of the nursing station

Photo of the recovery room before they start bringing the patients in for recovery.

We had snow in the north and at higher elevations (none in the city) for the past two weekends. The record snowfall  created havoc on the highways and some serious accidents as well.

 

 

 

On Saturday we also had a provincial election. I voted by mail in ballot along with almost 700,000 other people.  Approximately 500,000 people returned their mail in ballots on time to be counted but the counting doesn't start until November 2nd.  Even without the mail in ballots, the election was handily won by our incumbent Premier John Horgan.  He now has a majority government by which to rule.  That was his goal when he took a gamble and called an election a year earlier than required. His win is historic in that it is the very first time that the New Democratic Party (NDP) has won 2 consecutive elections in the province.

 

In other big political news, the Opposition Party of Canada,  brought a "No Confidence" motion against the Prime Minister of Canada on October 21.  They wanted to create a special committee to probe the government's ethics and spending in response to the pandemic and a scandal related to the WE Charity.  Members of Parliament (MPs) voted 180-146 to defeat the opposition motion, with the NDP, Greens and Independent MPs voting with the Liberals.  It means we will not have a snap federal election this fall.

I hope things can settle down for awhile with all the politics here.  People want and stable governments to help steer the nation while we recover from the pandemic.

Thanks for reading my post today. Stay safe everyone and do what you can to stay happy and high in spirits. May you be blessed today and each day hereafter. May you and your loved ones have continued health or improving health. May you have the material things and the finances you need and last but not least, may you have the strength and confidence to handle whatever comes in your path. 

 

Life and Sky Updates & Thoughts on Happiness

Hi friends,

The rain, gray skies and coldish weather has continued all week so far. It means I didn't get out for new photos.
I'm sharing some from a few weeks ago when I baked some bread and took some photos of the sunrise.

I'm kept fairly busy with trying to ration the food stuff in the home so we don't need to go out to shop that often. I  also kept busy trying to find something to plant in the garden. This wasn't as easy as in years past due to the line ups to get into stores and also just the fact that there seems to be less on offer or things are sold out.  At least the things I want. I spent an hour in line on Friday to get what I hoped was the last of the things to put together a semblance of a garden. I may need to go once more to find the rest of what I'd like but I'll try to make do.  Here at home it looks like some restrictions will ease soon.  Personally I will continue to take great care until we are more assured of the future outlook. In the meantime I've got plenty to keep me busy.

In addition to being busy baking, cooking and tending the garden  I'm also spending a lot of time in contact with people in Kenya that I try to help.  The end of the month keeps me very busy in that regard. Many had difficult lives before Covid - 19 but the restrictions and curfews make finding daily bread even more difficult, very difficult. If any of you would like to help with a donation toward the Kenyan needs kindly be in touch at the email on the right side bar. I know not everyone can help or even wants to help. But if you do then the option and opportunity is available.

 I am often awake at sunrise.  This is usually the best time to get my sky shots.  

I love it when the gulls are flying around in the morning before the day gets busy. 

I always wonder what they are doing, seeing and even whether they think about what they are seeing. 

They seem to enjoy circling around in the air before everyone else comes out to make 'noise'.

I get the sense of their enjoyment by the way they fly and glide around and make a lot of bird calls. 

They seem to know exactly when it gets busy with traffic and people because they abruptly stop flying around until next morning returns.

 

It is also a joy for me to see a sky full of different clouds and colours.

This is one of the

more beautiful ones I've captured in awhile.

I found this little graphic that lists 10 ways to be happy. 

  I've employed many of these strategies in my own life though I hadn't seen this graphic, lol.  I have to say that I very seldom suffer from unhappiness.

I know some people find it easier to be unhappy than to be happy.

Unless one has a serious mental disorder or is grieving the loss of a loved one, I think happiness is a choice one makes and an effort to do certain things to avoid feeling down and depressed.  Happiness takes some effort because many people, including me,  are not chipper by nature.  I don't roll out of bed each morning and greet the day eager to get at it.  But I am thankful for each and every blessing including the simple act of waking up each day.  The alternative of not waking up and having another day to enjoy on this earth is one I hope remains in the far distant future.
Being happy takes effort but at the end of the day I think it is well worth it.

 

I will link up with Skywatch Friday later this week.
Thank you for taking a moment out of your day to stop by and visit my blog.

 Stay safe and be happy.

♥♥♥

Welcome to February

Hi friends,

Time is flying by. I'm glad to see the backside of January and say 'welcome' February. January ushered in the New Year quite rudely in my life with sickness (a lingering cold and a weird skin infection for which I've gone to the doctor and a specialist), my nephew's near death accident, a compromised credit card (usual process of investigation is ongoing and I have received my new card), very stormy weather in Canada and in my province with road closures due to heavy snowstorms (highways were closed more than once), record rainfall with accompanying landslides and other destruction (one parking lot crumbled behind a restaurant not too far from me and now the powers that be have decided to shut the restaurant down due to the uncertainty of land stability), the onset of the worldwide global health crisis (my province has tested 114 people and confirmed one case of the coronavirus; Canada has 4 cases overall with 3 in Ontario).  I thank God that through it all he has preserved me and my family and I look forward with gratitude to what lies ahead.

I want to thank all of you who have prayed for my nephew's recovery. It is remarkable how God not only preserved him from death but is helping him recover. What was first thought to be a broken shoulder was found to be dislocated and reconnected. He has been released from hospital and is recovering at home.  I ask for continued prayers that he doesn't suffer any long standing damage to bones and tissue from the heavy blow his body and that God would provide for all the needs of his family.  I give thanks to God and those who prayed for him. I do not know how long it will be before he can return to work but he is well on his way to recovery and all of his family is grateful.

In late January my friend Eunice in Kenya also suffered a setback. I somehow feel this may have been deliberate negligence of the hospital which is responsible feeding her the special diet we provide and also giving her medication and water. She became severely dehydrated and we then had to provide several bags of  IV fluid. Private hospitals and hospital in general are notorious for bilking the patients and finding all kinds of reasons for charging more money for this and for that, much of it unnecessary. Now today I learned that over the weekend she has been suffering from cold and I'm not certain whether she has not had enough blankets or whether she has malaria. Jonah has had to camp at the hospital to ensure that she is getting proper care.

This poor woman has been through a lot but through it all God has preserved her. Her blood condition is in fact improving and it is unfortunate that this latest setback had to occur and cause fear and financial loss. Please continue to pray for her. At this point the hospital bill has grown enormously as we can only afford to pay for urgent interventions (IV, special diet, blood, hormone medication) and a privately hired nurse to ensure that we understand everything that we need to understand. Jonah is there to attend to much of Eunice's needs however as a man in his culture he is not permitted to do certain things and that is why we have hired a nurse who is also from Eunice's tribal group. (The Go Fund Me Campaign is still open if you can help with any of Eunice's costs. See side bar to the right of the blog).

I do not have a recent update on Ernest since his last surgery.  However he continues to be monitored at the hospital both for his leg and for the diabetes and to receive his medication each week at the hospital. Thank you to one of my blog readers for assisting us financially so that Ernest can get the food and other care he needs. It has been a huge blessing and a help.  Ernest has monthly food needs and medication which costs about $ 150 US funds monthly ($200 Canadian) at minimum. Once he is nutritionally stronger and he can stand on both legs, we hope he could work again as a barber.  If you feel you can help him on a regular basis, kindly let me know.

Jonah himself was sick and in hospital for about 5-6 days. He contracted some kind of bug from suspected contamination of water. He got very sick and tried OTC medicine before checking into hospital. Then he checked out of hospital to try and save funds. I insisted he return to hospital until the laboratory tests were available which he did and spent a further 2 days in hospital before feeling strong enough to discharge.

Finally, I have reported before about Alvin who is hoping to come to Canada to do a Master's program.  It has been a long and very involved and expensive process to assist Alvin, a young man in Kenya, to submit his applications to a university in BC. He has now submitted to 2 programs one located in Vancouver and another located in the Okanagan.  We are praying he will be accepted and one of the programs.  He is also looking for sources of funding both in Kenya and in Canada to help him pay for his studies and living costs. If anyone would like to help this international student kindly let me know.

~~~~

I didn't get a chance to review 2019 and post my reflections. Too much time has passed for that so I only wish to state I was looking forward to 2020 and an opportunity to work on new goals. I am making slow but steady progress on them.

I also wanted to share this little graphic about my reading goal for 2019. Some of you might remember my reading goals for 2019 was a modest 25 books. I deliberately set it low so that I could focus on real enjoyment of reading and if I read more that was a bonus.In 2020 amongst other goals I hope to read 45 books and am off to a good start.

I spent a lot of time in January cooking and trying new dishes. I also made a lot of bread as a way to reduce spending on groceries. I like to make yeast bread but as any of you who make bread knows, the process can take a long time out of one's day. I found this new to me recipe that allows you to make artisanal bread in just about one hour. I then experimented with it to make regular loaves of read for toast and sandwiches.  I'm quite pleased with how the bread has turned out in my experiments. These bread baking experiments are allowing me to use a large bag of flour, a lot of expired yeast (which is still proofing properly), save money on bread buying and enjoy some home baking.

These are the artisanal style loaves.

I shaped the dough into regular loaves but had to add more flour. I let it rise one extra time.

This recipe is No Knead, No Time Bread and only takes an hour or an hour and some minutes from start to finish. 

The bread turned out quite well after figuring out how to work with the sticky dough.

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it.

In closing I leave you with a view of the mountains today. The sky had a pretty pink glow.
Click photos to enlarge.

An Update

Hi friends,

 I haven't posted in awhile and there are a few updates and a short announcement.

Today was overcast and it rained a bit late in the day. It is supposed to rain a bit for several days this week. Not much rain but I hope it all adds up to enough to give the garden a good watering.

Sunday late evenings after dinner seem to be baking days for me, at least when it isn't hot outside.

I made date squares for the very first time as I had a small package of dates I've been wanting to use. I never used to like date squares but these days I don't mind them. I also made a batch of bannock bread to use up some milk which had passed it best by date.  I should have warmed the milk a bit first because it made the dough very cold. In the end though it tasted quite fine and took the edge off the hunger I was feeling despite having eaten dinner (marinated chicken, steamed rice and green salad).

The photo of the date squares isn't very good but oh my the square I had was very delicious. It must be all that sugar and butter. I know I won't be making these on a regular basis due to these two ingredients.  I'll be wrapping some up in wrapping paper and tin foil to take to a friend for her family. If I have another one or two that will be plenty and I will have saved myself from spending so much money on buying date squares. 

I calculated that this small pan of squares would have cost at least $18 Canadian if purchased in the supermarket here which usually sells 3-4 squares to a package. If purchased in individual squares at the cafe, the 12 squares would have cost 2 or 3x that.

I didn't calculate the cost of making the squares since I didn't go out and purchase anything to bake them  so I'm guesstimating the approximate cost of ingredients (only the amounts used and not the amount for the package of each item):  flour ($1),  sugar (25 cents), butter (60 cents), dates ($3), oatmeal (75 cents and shredded coconut (40 cents) for a grand total of $6.00 (Canadian). I used a recipe called Newfoundland Date Squares which you can find here.

I also made bannock bread.  Once it is baked and cooled, I  pack it away otherwise it gets dried out.  Bannock bread like this must be eaten within a day or two. It's best with butter, jam or cheese (Cheese Whiz is good too). I don't really follow a recipe. I make it often so it is by "feel" but here is a recipe to something similar. I make it in the slab but once I put the slab on a baking sheet I cut  the dough into squares with a sharp knife and prick it.  When it comes out of the oven it is already portioned out. I remember some ladies used to make a huge slab every day for their families rather than baked loaves. They didn't bother to cut it before baking. Everyone just tore pieces off at the dining room table or they would slice it into squares after baked and cooled.

Bannock bread

The root canal on one tooth was finished and I completed the antibiotics. It seemed like the tooth was quite badly infected and I know when they cleaned out the temporary cotton before finalizing the root canal there was still a lot of pain. They gave me extra freezing and they put some liquid antibacterial medicine which went down my throat and was burning. Right now there doesn't seem to be any real pain which is a relief as there had been slight pain for several days. I guess the tooth and gums needed time to heal. Anyway long story short is that I had to pay out of pocket due to the work needing to be done on emergency basis. Now I am hoping the insurance will reimburse me for most of the work. In the meantime I'm waiting for pre-approval for another major bit of tooth work. Even if they approve it I already know they won't cover much of it because my annual limit is almost exceeded with a bit of cleaning and the root canal.

Believe it or not I know some ladies that want to get dentures just to avoid pain and problems and future expense but I'm not at that point. My late mom had so many problems with partial dentures and if that were to happen to me it really isn't avoiding any future issues at all.

In Kenya, Ernest is slowly recovering at home. He will be in recovery mode for quite some time yet. I am still trying to raise the last $60 Canadian dollars or so to clear the hospital bill. I thank anyone reading this who has prayed for this need to be met, shared it on social media or given directly. You are all much appreciated and you know who you are. May God bless you also in your time of need.

Another friend is still in hospital about 3 hours from her home. She has been there for going on 3 months. I honestly don't know if she will improve as she has been in and out of ICU a few times but we continue to pray for her and I continue to try and meet the medical costs and to encourage her family as best I can.

I am letting one of my sponsored boys go. He is my most recently sponsored boy who lives in Uganda. His name is Kevin and I'm delighted to learn that his community will be graduating. I sponsor him through Food for the Hungry and the organization works intensively with communities for a10 year period during which time the community learns to be self sufficient. It will be an awesome time of celebration soon not just for Kevin and his family but also for the rest of the community they live in.

The other boys I sponsor in Kenya and Ethiopia are doing well.  John will turn 16 years old this month and is getting very close to graduating from the program.  He will be finished in 2 years and then he will be out of the program and I will be unable to communicate with him further but  I pray for and have hope and trust in his future. The other two boys, Ian from Kenya and Wondimu from Ethiopia are still several years away from finishing the program. I sponsor these three boys through Compassion International's Canadian office and have very much enjoyed working through this organization to help them.

We have started a short spell of rain this week. I hope it rains a lot for the gardens

Levi, one of the young university graduates I helped a bit during his last two yeara of university will be going to India next month. He is on a full scholarship to complete his Masters degree in Engineering over the next 2 years. While this is very exciting he first has to raise transitional funds and if he is successful he will leave for India in approximately 2 weeks.  

Alvin is another young graduate I have been helping. He graduated a year and a half ago and was hoping to do another year at his alma mater. It all fell through even though he was registered and paid the tuition.  We are now hoping he can continue studies in Canada but we need to get a scholarship for him. In the meantime he is keeping busy singing in the internationally renowned Kenyan Boys Choir.  After many months in the recording studio the choir has recently completed their latest album.  Soon they will be marketing it for sale. He also keeps very busy with church and helping his family in addition to looking for employment.  If he is able to come to Canada  to study it would greatly help him with future job prospects.

Last, but not least, is Carolly. He has been studying to become a medical doctor. Just yesterday he learned he has passed his examinations. He now has one 3 week internship in Ear, Nose and Throat department and after that he awaits graduation in November. I think Carolly will be snapped up by one of the Kenyan hospitals since the country is in need of doctors. That would be wonderful for him and his extended family.

I'm currently completing my 28th book of the year and will soon be reading Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain. I had a modest goal of 25 books which I've now surpassed. From now until the end of 2019,  I will only be reading for sheer pleasure and not only to achieve a goal. 
I may just not read anything for a few months and spend time in other pursuits.

So many things take up time besides housekeeping and other tasks. I've been participating in various free on line webinars, spending time in prayerful study, keeping up with a few friends and family members, making future plans and going to appointments which at times seem never ending.  I asked the doctor about possible knee surgery but apparently I  go to a program first where they teach about pain management and other relevant things. I believe they also assess whether and when I need surgery. 
I don't mind going because we have a waiting list for various kinds of surgeries here and I want to be in the queue. One thing that has been bothering me is the idea that I might wait too long and then end up being a long time on a waiting list if I don't do something to get myself on a list somewhere.  I'm not 100% sure if it really helps but at least I feel like I'm doing something positive.  In the meantime I also help myself by taking my supplements, walking and a bit of other exercise.

  At the end of summer I will have a family visitor and so I'm thinking about what we will do over the week, the menu and so on.  I was also expecting a cousin to make her annual visit soon.  I spoke with her last week and she won't be coming this year.  Her daughter decided to move to the city where she lives.  They are now living together until her daughter gets settled and so she has been busy showing her around the city and getting her familiar with everything.

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I'm thinking of taking time away from blogging to relax and enjoy a slower pace over the summer.

 It has been a long time since I took a real blogging break and I've never taken a summer break from blogging. 
Summer always passes by so quickly and so I want to try and enjoy it this year.
  I'm not sure exactly when I'll start the break.  I was hoping to finalize my travel posts (Paris and Nairobi) first but not sure I will get to it.
Just in case you don't see me for awhile you will know that I've decided to go on break.
 🏖️  ☀️  🍹  🏝️

Until then enjoy your summer or your winter wherever you are in the world.

My Week

It's been a busy week of homemaking and staying indoors as I'm still feeling a bit poorly. 

Alterations for my niece.

Baked cinnamon buns

Added frosting so I could use up the cream cheese. I didn't realize I put it on so messily.

Rustic bannock bread to go with the soup in the Instant Pot.

A version of comforting hamburger soup bubbling away.

Third book finished in 2018.

Second afghan under way.

I won't be making any more baked desserts as it isn't good for  my blood sugar but it sure tasted good!

I hope you are having a good week wherever you are.

Joining in with 

Our World Tuesday.