Our next flight to Manchester England was on time...my brother in law and two of my nieces met us at the airport...it is less then a hour from the airport to where my sister and her family live...Walsden Village...
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Rambling around Walsden
My Mom and I arrived in England a few days ago...we left Minnesota during the start of another snow storm...they even had to de-ice the plane so we were delayed for about a hour...but even though we were late leaving we did arrive in Amsterdam on time...first thing I noticed as we were landing...two words NO SNOW
Our next flight to Manchester England was on time...my brother in law and two of my nieces met us at the airport...it is less then a hour from the airport to where my sister and her family live...Walsden Village...
Our next flight to Manchester England was on time...my brother in law and two of my nieces met us at the airport...it is less then a hour from the airport to where my sister and her family live...Walsden Village...
Update on the potting table...
Here are new photos of the potting table I was working on...
over with the stencils...
This part I will keep as it is...
Friday, April 19, 2013
April 2013
I have been having a hard time getting to this blog...I thought I might write about foods from around the World that I cook...that only lasted one time...doesn't mean that I will never get back to that...
I found it easier to write last year when I was doing my weekly blog 52 of 52...seems like it made me get busy and get some chores and projects done around the house and yard...
I have been doing projects around the house...the yard??? mmmm not so much...we just got rid of all the snow and I had spent a couple of days cleaning up the yard from miss Izzy if you know what I mean...then in just over a week we had two more winter storms...last night we got another eight inches of that frozen white stuff dumped on us...
A friend of mine has just re-finished her kitchen cabinets...she posted photos on Facebook and I went to see them...they are fabulous...now I am not the one to want something because someone else has got it...I don't care what kind or how big your house is...I don't care what kind of car you drive...I don't care if you make more money then I do...oh wait...I don't make any money now I am retired...but I really wanted to re-finish my cabinets...so I started in our bathroom...I was scared...I thought what if I screw this up...
I used Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations...there are four steps to complete...Step #1 Clean and Degloss...that went okay except it broke all my nails...should have worn the rubber gloves...Step #2 Apply Bond Coat...this was the scary part...this was going to change the color from kind of a natural oak to espresso...a very dark brown almost black...yikes...the first coat was so streaky I wondered what I had got myself into...second coat looked so much better I was beginning to think this would work out okay....Step # 3 Glazing...which is optional...I chose to give it a try...if I thought the bond coat was scary...this was worse...you brush the glaze on and then you rub off as much as you like...it was almost like staining something...anyway needless to say I got it done...it did make a difference to the look of the cabinets...Step #4 Protective Top Coat...piece of cake...I enjoyed this little project so much that I also re-finished the main bathroom cabinet and of course when you start to do any re-modeling work it tends to snowball...so I re-finished our bathroom door and Joe has started to tear up the vinyl and he is going to be putting down a ceramic tile floor...then of course we will have to put new in base boards which I will finish in the same espresso color...then it will be back to the main bathroom to do the same in there...think I am going to be busy all of Spring...and I haven't even started the kitchen yet...
the old pots and pan stand...
making a fence for the back of the stand...
I found it easier to write last year when I was doing my weekly blog 52 of 52...seems like it made me get busy and get some chores and projects done around the house and yard...
I have been doing projects around the house...the yard??? mmmm not so much...we just got rid of all the snow and I had spent a couple of days cleaning up the yard from miss Izzy if you know what I mean...then in just over a week we had two more winter storms...last night we got another eight inches of that frozen white stuff dumped on us...
A friend of mine has just re-finished her kitchen cabinets...she posted photos on Facebook and I went to see them...they are fabulous...now I am not the one to want something because someone else has got it...I don't care what kind or how big your house is...I don't care what kind of car you drive...I don't care if you make more money then I do...oh wait...I don't make any money now I am retired...but I really wanted to re-finish my cabinets...so I started in our bathroom...I was scared...I thought what if I screw this up...
I used Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations...there are four steps to complete...Step #1 Clean and Degloss...that went okay except it broke all my nails...should have worn the rubber gloves...Step #2 Apply Bond Coat...this was the scary part...this was going to change the color from kind of a natural oak to espresso...a very dark brown almost black...yikes...the first coat was so streaky I wondered what I had got myself into...second coat looked so much better I was beginning to think this would work out okay....Step # 3 Glazing...which is optional...I chose to give it a try...if I thought the bond coat was scary...this was worse...you brush the glaze on and then you rub off as much as you like...it was almost like staining something...anyway needless to say I got it done...it did make a difference to the look of the cabinets...Step #4 Protective Top Coat...piece of cake...I enjoyed this little project so much that I also re-finished the main bathroom cabinet and of course when you start to do any re-modeling work it tends to snowball...so I re-finished our bathroom door and Joe has started to tear up the vinyl and he is going to be putting down a ceramic tile floor...then of course we will have to put new in base boards which I will finish in the same espresso color...then it will be back to the main bathroom to do the same in there...think I am going to be busy all of Spring...and I haven't even started the kitchen yet...
this is the before and after of our bathroom cabinet
I have been working on a couple more projects...I have always wanted a potting bench in my yard somewhere...so I have been looking on-line thinking about getting one...have you seen the prices of those things...I had an old pots and pan stand that we had in our kitchen back in Niles Michigan...yep thats right we moved to Minnesota about 23 years ago and this old thing has been sitting in our basement with cases of water and soda on it...looking at some of the potting tables for sale I figured I could make one...
the almost finished potting table...need to put a little bit of color on it...
this is a practice project...never used stencils before...thinking I might do this on the potting bench...
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
a little bit of Germany...and a bigger bit of England...
Since I retired I have been doing a little more cooking...real cooking from scratch...not opening a packet or just heating something up...
My intentions for my blog this year was to talk about dishes I make from around the World...I was going to try to blog once a month...well here we are in February already...I missed January even though I did make an Indian Chicken Curry...as I was making this curry I said to Joe that I should be taking photos and blogging about it...but I was right in the middle of it so didn't get the photos...so please take my word for it I did cook Indian Chicken Curry in January...
My February dishes from around the World...
Black Forest Gateau...it is not named for the Black Forest in Germany...but rather the liquor of that region...I did cheat a little with this...I used a dark chocolate cake mix...a can of cherry pie filling...and pre-made chocolate frosting...
I cooked ground beef with onions..carrots..peas and corn...seasoned it with salt..pepper and bouquet garni...
put the meat and vegetables in an oven proof dish...
while the beef is cooking boil some potato's and mash them...layer over the beef...
cover the potato's with cheese...
bake for about 20 minutes...
I usually serve this with swede [rutabaga] and carrots gently mashed together with a little butter
Cornish Pasty's...in the 17th and 18th centuries the pasty became popular with the working people in Cornwall...the tin miners took this convenient meal in a package to work with them...it was easy to hold and they could throw away the last piece of the pasty which would be covered in coal dust from holding it...
you can use just about any filling for a pasty...I used stew beef...onions
...rutabaga...carrots...the herbs I used were rosemary and thyme...
make pastry...cut into six pieces...roll out to make six circles...
share the filling between the six circles of pastry...
use an egg wash on the pastry edges...fold in half and seal the edges...egg wash the tops...
bake...
you would think someone from England wouldn't need to use a recipe for a traditional English dish...but most people in England would go to the bakery shop and buy these pasty's already made...
Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas...last time I was in England I brought back some boxes of dried marrowfat peas...these needed soaking overnight...and then they were cooked for 20 minutes...turning them into mushy peas which are traditionally served with fish and chips in England...I used cod fish..
dried peas from England...
these are the peas after cooking...looks like a mushed up mess...but they taste so good...
the fish floured ready to go into the beer batter...I was so busy with the hot oil I neglected to take photos of the frying of the fish...
fish...home made fries and mushy peas...
My intentions for my blog this year was to talk about dishes I make from around the World...I was going to try to blog once a month...well here we are in February already...I missed January even though I did make an Indian Chicken Curry...as I was making this curry I said to Joe that I should be taking photos and blogging about it...but I was right in the middle of it so didn't get the photos...so please take my word for it I did cook Indian Chicken Curry in January...
My February dishes from around the World...
Black Forest Gateau...it is not named for the Black Forest in Germany...but rather the liquor of that region...I did cheat a little with this...I used a dark chocolate cake mix...a can of cherry pie filling...and pre-made chocolate frosting...
...and because I made this the day after Valentines day I added the heart...
Cottage Pie/Shepherds Pie...Cottage Pie dates from 1791...when the potato was being introduced as an edible crop that poor people could afford...in 1877 the term Shepherds Pie was used...Cottage Pie is made with beef were as Shepherds Pie should be made with lamb...in my family we have always called this dish Shepherds Pie...
Cornish Pasty's...in the 17th and 18th centuries the pasty became popular with the working people in Cornwall...the tin miners took this convenient meal in a package to work with them...it was easy to hold and they could throw away the last piece of the pasty which would be covered in coal dust from holding it...
...rutabaga...carrots...the herbs I used were rosemary and thyme...
you would think someone from England wouldn't need to use a recipe for a traditional English dish...but most people in England would go to the bakery shop and buy these pasty's already made...
Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas...last time I was in England I brought back some boxes of dried marrowfat peas...these needed soaking overnight...and then they were cooked for 20 minutes...turning them into mushy peas which are traditionally served with fish and chips in England...I used cod fish..
Thursday, February 14, 2013
just a little ramble...
before...
after...
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
30 years ago...
Excerpt from a diary....
Saturday 12th February 1983....
This morning Shell called me to ask me to work in wardrobe at the Century Centre on a show they are putting on. But its the dance tonight so I couldn't do it.
Tonight we went to the club in South Bend, Aunt Agnes and Bill, Ed and Debbie, Betty and Ed, Joe and I all went, it was a good night. I got a little sad for a while thinking about my return home in March but it soon passed.
What a perfect end to a Valentines Dance.....Joe asked me to marry him...I said yes...I love him so much.
Now I have to write home and tell Mum and Dad that I am going to marry Joe. I wonder how that is going to go over, it means that I am going to be making my life here in America instead of going home in March. Also we will have to start telling people here in the States.
We have so much to think about and decide on...I'll probably not sleep much tonight....
^^^^^^^^^^
A few days later we re-enacted the proposal so that we would have photos...yes I have always been a photo freak...
.jpg)
Saturday 12th February 1983....
This morning Shell called me to ask me to work in wardrobe at the Century Centre on a show they are putting on. But its the dance tonight so I couldn't do it.
Tonight we went to the club in South Bend, Aunt Agnes and Bill, Ed and Debbie, Betty and Ed, Joe and I all went, it was a good night. I got a little sad for a while thinking about my return home in March but it soon passed.
What a perfect end to a Valentines Dance.....Joe asked me to marry him...I said yes...I love him so much.
Now I have to write home and tell Mum and Dad that I am going to marry Joe. I wonder how that is going to go over, it means that I am going to be making my life here in America instead of going home in March. Also we will have to start telling people here in the States.
We have so much to think about and decide on...I'll probably not sleep much tonight....
^^^^^^^^^^
A few days later we re-enacted the proposal so that we would have photos...yes I have always been a photo freak...
.jpg)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Week 52 of 52
Here we are another year lived...another year older...if not wiser...but maybe wiser in the fact that I am now a retired retail worker...my last day at Hallmark made me re-think my decision again...I had a good last day at work...but it didn't take long to remember all the bad days and all the stress and all the aches and pains this job seems to give me...now knowing I am done with the retail industry I am comfortable with the choice I have made...
I just read my 'Thoughts on Resolutions' blog entry...from the beginning of last January...mmm...I had some good ideas but didn't follow through on all of them...I still cannot speak Spanish...I still cannot ride a horse...I still cannot play the guitar...but I can do yoga...I have been taking classes for almost a year now...after a weeks break for the holidays I start up again with my classes on Thursday...I completed the 'Couch to 5k' running program...it's on Facebook if anyone wants to become a runner...yes I am now a runner...I went from hardly being able to run for 30 seconds in week one...to being able to run a 5k...that's 3.1 miles...running my first one in week 7 of this nine week program...
I don't have any New Years Resolutions again this year...just a few small goals for throughout the year...I would like to continue with yoga...I would like to continue with my running program...must admit you almost need to have a goal in mind for running...It's sometimes hard to go down to the basement and get on the treadmill...I would like to set a goal of a certain amount of miles run each week...but right at this moment I am not giving myself a number...just to get a run in two or three times a week...even if it's only a 20 minute run...I did sign up today for the Twin Cities Color Run...it's not until July...but it is a running goal...this Spring and Summer I would like to extend my flower gardens...and this year we need to re-paint the deck...I also have a few indoor projects I would like to do...I'm still working on that old rocking chair...
I am not going to do a weekly blog...some weeks I was really reaching at straws trying to find something to write about...now tell me...who really wants to read about me cleaning out underwear drawers...I will keep in touch by blog...don't know how often...not going to put a number on that either...
My last entry for my 52 of 52...Adam and I went downtown Minneapolis this morning in 5 degree heat...yes this is Minnesota...and we ran the Commitment Day 5k...this 5k was being run simultaneously in various cities country wide...it was fun to be part of this movement...Joe drove us downtown and waited in the Metrodome while Adam and I ran...here are a few photos of the event...
adios amigas...feliz ano nuevo...
New Years Commitment Day Run...Minneapolis Minnesota...
Adam waiting to start...
Angela waiting to start...
Commitment Day tee-shirt...
Commitment Day journal and bag...for completing the run...
I just read my 'Thoughts on Resolutions' blog entry...from the beginning of last January...mmm...I had some good ideas but didn't follow through on all of them...I still cannot speak Spanish...I still cannot ride a horse...I still cannot play the guitar...but I can do yoga...I have been taking classes for almost a year now...after a weeks break for the holidays I start up again with my classes on Thursday...I completed the 'Couch to 5k' running program...it's on Facebook if anyone wants to become a runner...yes I am now a runner...I went from hardly being able to run for 30 seconds in week one...to being able to run a 5k...that's 3.1 miles...running my first one in week 7 of this nine week program...
I don't have any New Years Resolutions again this year...just a few small goals for throughout the year...I would like to continue with yoga...I would like to continue with my running program...must admit you almost need to have a goal in mind for running...It's sometimes hard to go down to the basement and get on the treadmill...I would like to set a goal of a certain amount of miles run each week...but right at this moment I am not giving myself a number...just to get a run in two or three times a week...even if it's only a 20 minute run...I did sign up today for the Twin Cities Color Run...it's not until July...but it is a running goal...this Spring and Summer I would like to extend my flower gardens...and this year we need to re-paint the deck...I also have a few indoor projects I would like to do...I'm still working on that old rocking chair...
I am not going to do a weekly blog...some weeks I was really reaching at straws trying to find something to write about...now tell me...who really wants to read about me cleaning out underwear drawers...I will keep in touch by blog...don't know how often...not going to put a number on that either...
My last entry for my 52 of 52...Adam and I went downtown Minneapolis this morning in 5 degree heat...yes this is Minnesota...and we ran the Commitment Day 5k...this 5k was being run simultaneously in various cities country wide...it was fun to be part of this movement...Joe drove us downtown and waited in the Metrodome while Adam and I ran...here are a few photos of the event...
adios amigas...feliz ano nuevo...
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