Journaling and Blogging

Journaling and blogging. What purpose do they serve?

I started journaling about 3 years ago in an attempt to sort through my problems. I was going through some difficult times, and in some odd way it helped to write down and list all my problems. Like seeing them in print would lessen the effects. You’d almost think seeing them listed might make matters worse. I have read those old writings and while many of the old problems are gone, I wonder if journaling at that time really did help me in the end. I think it did. I know it did.

Journaling is way for us to identify where our heads might be, to list insights into current problems, feelings, emotions. It’s also been a way for me to do writing. I love writing and seeing my words in print and knowing they might be read by others only adds. So blogging is way for me to share me with others. I have to believe someone somewhere might be interested in what I have to share. Perhaps my thoughts stimulate others to wonder about themselves. Maybe.

So with all this in mind, how is it I am not journaling and blogging every day? You’d think I would be pretty good about doing it. I guess like most, I get busy and it does take time to formulate the thoughts and then get them into print. Include to that, the fact that I now put them online for others to read, and that adds to the time equation as well.

I also feel that I just cannot randomly throw things out there. I have carefully chosen what I wanted to share. I think I might have to rethink that and simply put out there the thoughts and feelings as they swirl in my head. Of course, if you are reading my words, that might confuse you. Perhaps not. Maybe it might even make for better reading. The real me exposed more.

But then I wonder would the reader really is let into my world, would they think less of me? I don’t know. I have to chance it.

So here goes.

My problems as of today.

* My husband lost his job
* We may have to sell our home
* We may end up moving out of state and away from family
* My husband is facing treatment for thyroid cancer.
* I worry about him constantly
* I need more work hours and there are none available

That’s enough for now. There. It’s out there. A list. I somehow feel no better, but then I feel no worse. Perhaps tomorrow will bring a better entry.

Cruising the Caribbean

My first cruise was incredible! The food, the drinks, the sun, the people, the ship, the sand, the stars, the weather, the entertainment…

We sailed on the Navigator, one of Royal Caribbean’s ships. Our room was small, but somehow all four of us fit in there quite nicely and there were no mishaps over the one-week period. Who spends much time in their room anyway? We didn’t.

We began the cruise on a Saturday and spent the first two days out on the water. I have to admit I was concerned about the potential possibility of seasickness, but none of us had any problems. It didn’t take us long to discover the fun and sun of the deck, and planted ourselves quite nicely into one of the lounges, and soon found the drinks coming in our direction. There’s a lot to be said about sipping a pina colada, while the sounds of Caribbean music waft in the air.

We took in four ports of call; Labadee, Hispaniola, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico. Labadee was my only disappointment. We booked an excursion to a small beach, where we were to enjoy the peace and quiet a small beach has to offer. We found that the beach had been recently washed away during a rainstorm, so that not much of it was left. To compensate for the loss of the beach, they offered us “free drinks”, but at 9am, fruity run drinks did nothing for us. There was also to be much coral to view while snorkeling, but we didn’t find much there. The rest of the ports were wonderful.

I did something on the cruise I thought I would never do. I got on a horse, and stayed on for about 45 minutes. My ass never left the saddle. I have had a fear of horses since about age five, and throughout my life time have tried several times to combat this fear. I have never been able to. Until now. I thought what better time to squash this fear. The sun was out, the air was balmy. The horses seemed willing and my family was right there to support me. The ride was awesome. I did it.

My favorite part of the cruise was our excursion to Sting Ray city in Grand Cayman. We took a catamaran, named the Cockatoo out to the area. It was a 45 minute sail, and we layed on the tarps and sunbathed to and fro. The water was a gorgeous color, and the sting rays are awesome to play with! We learned a lot about these magnificent creatures and hopefully got some great underwater pictures of them.

The ship offered so much to do that one would never have to leave the ship if they didn’t want to. I can’t imagine staying on it, and missing the ports of call, but there were those who simply had no interest. I didn’t want to miss any of it. And I didn’t. I can’t wait for my next cruise. I'm planning it now!

Ahoy Mates!

I’m in the midst of packing for our family vacation which will take us on a cruise to the Caribbean. Packing for a cruise is most definitely different from packing for a family camping trip, which is where my packing experience lies. There are four of us, and each one of us has two suitcases, which at first glance seems like enough. That is, until you start getting all the piles of clothing together. Mountains of clothing.

I have spent the last two weeks ensuring all the necessary outfits are color coordinated, appropriate for the right occasion (yes there are occasions on board), and properly ironed and cleaned. It has been no easy task. I also have been trying to make sure that once the clothes are placed in the appropriate piles, they are not removed from said pile. Unfortunately this has failed twice. I am not sure why my son feels the need to wear THAT shirt instead of one of the many he has in his closet. So the shirt goes back in the laundry and then makes its way back to the pile for packing. When one camps, one doesn’t care what shirt they have on, except that it had better be warm and who cares if it has wrinkles?

Then there’s the shoe suitcase. Everyone knows which shoes he or she has to take, but until we leave, some of those shoes have gone in and out of the suitcases several times. I just know will get to the boat and someone will proclaim there’s only one shoe instead of two in the damn suitcase. Why can’t they just wear the one pair of shoes they intend on leaving behind? I do. If we were going camping, we’d simply wear the one pair of hiking boots we own, and not take them off until we got back home again. Simple!

My favorite suitcase to pack is the one that is filled with all the extras. You know the one that has the meds that we *might* need at sea. The one that has several tubes of hair gel in it, because one hair gel is never enough. And why would I think that for just one week we could all share one flavor shampoo? So the little bag is now bursting at the seams, and I couldn’t slip one tablet of Tylenol in it if my life depended on it. If we were going camping, this bag would not even be mentioned. No one has headaches or cares about dirty hair while living in the woods, much less if their hair is well gelled.

So while I am excited about our first family cruise, packing for it stinks. I must admit though, that unpacking from a cruise should have much less odor than unpacking from camping. It better!

The Joy Of baking and Cooking

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort." Norman Kolpas

The above quote is certainly true. However, if Norman were to formulate a quote in regards to my old style of cooking and baking, he’d add the words, “interesting, unusual, thought provoking, and out of the ordinary”. It’s true, well almost.

Until about three years ago, I had no real interest in the finer arts of baking and cooking. My culinary creativity was put to the test when I added hotdog pieces to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ©. When my extended family got together for barbeques, I was the one asked to bring the paper goods. “It’s really better this way,’ I was informed. I had a spice cabinet full of spices and herbs, all for show. My baking and cooking supplies were almost non-existent. I didn’t need them. I hated cooking and baking.

Then one day I was standing in the line at the supermarket and a dish on the cover of Gourmet Magazine caught my attention. I bought the magazine and to my surprise the dish was not only easy to assemble, but I had all the necessary food and spices to throw it together. Of course, my next concern was would my family like it? They did! I was hooked. I was on my way to becoming a culinary Goddess.

Okay, that might be stretching it, but the truth is I finally saw myself as someone who might be able to function beyond the microwave on the kitchen. I started buying various food magazines and cookbooks and focused on the easier things to make. My family began looking for newer dishes to grace the table at mealtime! I soon realized that cooking and baking require love, time, and the ability to try new things. Fear really has no place in the kitchen.

So today I love to lots more time to devote to trying new things and have now amazed my friends and family at my talents in the kitchen. I’m happy there too.

“Noncooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.” ~ Julia Child

My Orange Blossom Cookies

Orange Blossoms
*Makes about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp orange extract
2 cups flour
¼ tsp salt

Heat oven to 400. Beat butter, sugar, and extract. Stir in flour and salt. IF dough is too soft, chill to firm a bit.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased trays. Press bottom of glass into dough to grease glass then into granulated sugar. (I use Turbinado sugar) Then press dough ball on tray with sugared glass to about ¼ inch thick.

Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove immediately to racks to cool for about 30 minutes.

Spread orange filling between pairs of cookies and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Orange filling:

¼ cup sugar
2 ¼ tsp cornstarch
¼ cup water
1 Tb butter
1 tsp grated orange peel
4 ½ tsp orange juice

Mix sugar and cornstarch in 1 qt saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens. Boil and stir 1 minute. Cool.