I can run the world with...

How many times have you heard me say that I could run the world with 3x5 cards and my timer? I have tried so many organization systems over time, some high tech and some low tech, and the end result has always been the same - I have gone back to my 3x5 cards and timer.

Some jobs loom large as I procrastinate doing things that I really don't like to do. I tell myself that the job will take forever, that I really don't know how to do it, that I don't know where to start, that it won't turn out the way I want it to anyway. And then I think that I will have to start all over again once I finish anwway. Does that sound familar to anyone? How to get out of that kind of stinkin' thinking? Enter the timer.

Spring cleaning? I set my timer for 15 minutes, turn on the music, and just START in one room. When the timer goes off, I change rooms. It is amazing how many drawers I can clean out, how many closets I can go through, how many things I can prepare, dust, straighten, etc. in 15 minutes.

Writing papers for school? No problem. Research for 15 minutes. Write for 15 minutes.

Most jobs take way less time than we alot them. Hustle for 15 minutes and it is amazing what can be accomplished.

And then we come to my beloved 3x5 cards. Yes, I really do love them. They are sturdy. They don't bend and fold up on themselves. They are just the right size for nearly any kind of list. You can store them in a box, in a drawer, on a cork board, in a folder, in your purse or wallet, in the glove box of the car.

When my kids were young, I kept a 3x5 card in a drawer in each room, listing each task to be done to clean that room. When they told me they were done with their chore, I reminded them to make sure they had done everything on the card. End of nagging.

Favorite recipe? Inside of the kitchen cupboard or drawer on a 3x5.

Medication reactions/allergies? Inside the medicine cabinet drawer.

Grocery list? My card stands perfectly in the cart.

To do list? Perfect size, portable, and love to cross off items as I get them done.

Ideas? Projects? Books to read? A note to send? Need an oil change? There is a 3 x 5 for that.

My timers and 3x5 cards help me to be happier, more productive, more organized, and easier to live with. They make short work of the have-to's and give me more time for the want-to's. They make sure that important information is close at hand, without counting on often overworked brain cells to remember! They reduce nagging (always a good thing). They help teach good habits. They can remind me of happy times (oh yeah, I remember when we made those bunny pops, I had forgotten about those), and can be a reminder of happy times to come (birthday and vacation planning). I can't imagine my life without them.

I'd like to think that I've handed this dazzling, amazing, wonderful system down to my children. Unfortunately, their idea is to say "write this down for me". Come to think of it, Floyd Michael says the same thing. However, I think my beloved grandson J may just pick on this habit. He is happy to write his own lists, and makes sure everyone knows they are important and not to throw them away. He has had his birthday wish list going for several months now. Organized boy after my own heart!

Alexa Faith Montoya

As much fun as it was anticipating whether our new grandbaby would be a boy or a girl, we are so happy to know. We will be welcoming Alexa Faith Montoya in August.

How wonderful for George to have a daughter to adore and protect.

Linda, who has always loved dance, will have the opportunity to share that love with a daughter.

Jason will have a younger sister to teach and to love, and one he can protect from all of his friends!

Floyd Michael and George Sr will get to be grandfathers to a little girl. I'm pretty sure she ALREADY has them wrapped around her little finger.

As for the grandmothers, I'm pretty sure we will manage to enjoy this little girl, each in our own unique way.

Her Aunts and Uncles are already planning to adore and spoil her.

Welcome to the family, Alexa Faith. You are eagerly anticipated and already loved.

Birthday Theme of the Year

When we first married, our tradition was to take the entire family out to dinner to celebrate each birthday. After a few years, however, that got very expensive and kind of old. Been there, done that.

About two years ago, Floyd Michael and I found, by chance, a lovely little Italian restaurant in Diamond Bar, and celebrated our anniversary there. The decor was beautiful, the music was just perfect, the service fantastic. It was much nicer than a chain restaurant, and had a charming, upscale, romantic/feminine feel to it that we loved. We talked about how nice it would be to take our girls, especially, to this restaurant. Somehow our talk meandered from taking our children out one at a time to a nicer restaurant than our usual, to birthdays. Bingo! The idea was born. During the upcoming year, we would take out each "child" alone with their parent for their birthday celebration.

Devin and George were first, as they have January birthdays. I think George had barbeque. Devin and I went for sushi. Schedules being what they are in our crazy household, Devin didn't get his birthday dinner until some time in February, but we did go. One on one time was nice. Choosing just the right venue was crazy fun.

Linda was supposed to go to the restaurant that started it all, but it was CLOSED when she and Floyd went out. They ended up at a local barbeque restaurant. So much for the original plan!

Destiny is not a fan of fine dining, and really has a limited palate. We started out for BJs because she wanted to try a Pizooki. Apparently it was prom night or something, but it was PACKED. Same with the next two restaurants we tried. I thought that maybe we were going to starve before we found a place! She really wanted a steak, and we ended up at the same BBQ restaurant Floyd and Linda had gone to. Go figure! The girl got her steak, and we had a story to tell.

Dan wanted salad, and cheesecake. We actually "cheated" on his birthday, and went with his grandmother. I'm pretty sure he liked the extra attention, and I know my mom loved being included.

Eric was last in line, having a November birthday. I had not seen him for awhile, and was talking to him about getting together for lunch or something. He wanted me to come along when he had his birthday lunch with Floyd. I explained to him that I couldn't go because of our birthday theme of the year. The tone of his voice let me know he thought we were kind of crazy at that point! I'm not sure where he and Floyd went, but am so glad they got to have some time alone together.

We enjoyed our theme year so well, we decided to pick another theme for this year. After much discussion, we decided to do dessert parties. For each birthday, we would choose a different dessert and get as many of the family together for the celebration as possible.

George and Devin were first. We had banana splits for their birthdays. Amazingly, and unhappily, Vons called Devin into work on his birthday. He actually missed most of his own party. I was NOT NOT NOT happy about that. The banana splits were a hit. Jason particularly loved the maraschino cherries (I finally sent the jar home with them so they could dole them out to him).

Amanda (Eric's girlfriend) came next. We decided to go to Cold Stone for hers. Unfortunately, it turned out that they had no inside seating, and it was cold outside (okay, California cold, but still cold). Must remember not to do ice cream for the winter birthdays.

Linda comes next, and she was the only one we knew from the beginning. Friday night we will be having pie to celebrate Linda's birthday. I really wanted to learn to make pie for this, but really haven't had a lot of time to practice. I think she deserves real pie from someone who knows how to make it for her birthday, rather than my first attempt.

I think we will go out for Pizooki's for Destiny's birthday. We shall see. Dan is very likely to get cheesecake. Again, we shall see what he feels like at the time. We don't know where Eric will be for his birthday. I may have to send him a gift certificate for a birthday treat, and call him while he eats it.

I can hardly wait to pick out a theme for next year!

new life

We are anticipating an addition to our family.

It has been six years since we last eagerly anticipated the birth of a baby. That baby, now that boy, is the most beloved of grandchildren to Floyd and I, the most beloved of nephews to his aunts and uncles. He is sunshine and spitfire, sweetness and sass, smart and silly, rambunctious and cuddly. He is all the contradictions that make up a five year old. Watching him grow and learn has been amazing. He has cemented our blended family into an emulsion of simply family. No step. No half. No part. Just family. Jason did that. If you want to love and claim Jason (and everybody does), then you have to claim one another. I never saw that coming, but will be forever grateful for it.

And now, another baby is on the way. A baby boy? A little brother for Jason to teach all the cool boy stuff he has perfected over the years? A rough and tumble mini-J to fall in line behind a beloved older brother? A baby girl? A little sister that J can protect and pamper? Pink and ruffles? Dresses and bows? Dance recitals, like her mama? How I love to see a man with a baby girl! I can just imagine George with a daughter. And Floyd with a baby granddaughter. How fun it would be to take a little granddaughter shopping, to teach her to cook and to do crafts with her. I do those things with J, but somehow I think it might be different with a girl - or not!

Boy or girl, I do know that this baby will be born into a family that will adore it. It will have wonderful parents. It will have grandparents and great grandparents that love it unconditionally. It will have aunts and uncles who enjoy playing with and spoiling it.

This child will change the dynanics of our family, as all babies do.

I am appreciating this time of anticipation, knowing it lasts only a short while before the whirlwind begins. I love having this knowledge, that a tiny new person is coming into our family. This time to prepare and eagerly anticipate.

I love being the grandparent. All I have to do is wait. Linda is doing all the hard work. I appreciate her more than I can say.

Everyone needs someone who loves them best

I truly believe that every child needs to have someone who loves them best, or at least makes them feel as if they do. Obviously, this is not their parent. Maybe an extended family member or close family friend.

My grandfather was this person in my life. For a variety of reasons my need may have been greater than most, and his love for me was akin to a beacon in the darkness. I can't overstate the effect that this had on my life. I doubt that even he knew how great my need was, nor the effect that his loving actions had on my life.

My fondness for and love of my grandfather never wavered. I was blessed (and I do not use that term lightly) to enjoy that special relationship until long into my adulthood. Although his last few years were difficult, I consider it such an honor to have shared so many years with him.

I have a picture of my grandfather on my desk. I look at him every day, and those loving feelings are still there. The love he felt for me, and I for him, did not die with him. It lives on.

Because of this experience with my grandfather, it was interesting to watch my childrens early years unfold. I recognized special relationships between each of them and a significant person in their lives. Why or how these special connections are made is something of a mystery. Perhaps it is chemistry. Perhaps a loving Heavenly Father provides these special someones to meet a particular need.

Recipes of the week

We tried a few new recipes this week.

Blender wheat pancakes turned out very well. Perfect for "eat what you store and store what you eat". The guys really liked them.

It was hot this week, so we were looking for cool dishes. Chicken apple crunch salad was good, but not spectacular. The guys must have liked it though, because it was gone in no time. I would definitely make it again. I would add nuts next time. Orzo and spinach salad was very good. I would make this again, as well. I also made zucchini refrigerator pickles, but combined a bunch of recipes and, as usual, I could not reproduce them if I tried.

Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes
From: Wheat Foods Council

1-1/2 cup wheat kernels
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
¼ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ Tablespoon baking soda

Combine wheat and milk in blender. Blend on high for 2 – 3 minutes. Add eggs, oil, salt and sugar. Blend well. Pour batter into a bowl, STIR in baking powder and baking soda.

Pour ¼ cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle and cook until bubbles appear on top. Flip (only once) and cook until lightly browned.

NOTE: This is the way I received the recipe at a wheat cooking class. No salt was listed. I added a few shakes of salt from the salt shaker. Unsure what the measurement should be.


Orzo and Spinach Salad with Lemon-Cranberry Vinaigrette

From CLBB adapted the recipe from What Can I Bring Cookbook by Anne Byrn

8 oz. orzo pasta
salt to taste -- I used sea salt
6 oz. Baby spinach
5 oz. or so feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup or so craisins
1 cup chopped sugared pecans or toasted pecans

Vinaigrette:
½ to 1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 Tablespoons or so fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Boil orzo and salt for about 7-8 minutes, until just done. Drain in a fine sieve and shake off excess water. Set aside to cool. (While the orzo is cooling I put it in a flat container and pour a little of the vinaigrette on it to keep it from sticking.)

Meanwhile, mix spinach, feta, and craisins in large bowl. Set aside.

For vinaigrette, mix lemon zest and lemon juice and gradually whisk in olive oil, a little at a time, until it thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix cooled orzo with spinach mixture. Pour vinaigrette over everything and mix. Cover and chill a few hours or up to overnight.

Just before serving add pecans and stir. Taste to see if it needs more lemon juice, salt, or anything else.

Sugared Pecans
Pour about 5 to 6 Tablespoons of sugar in the bottom of a skillet. Turn stove to low or medium/low. Scatter about a cup of pecan halves over the sugar. Stir occasionally as the sugar melts. Be careful not to burn them! Remove them from the skillet to cool once they are coated with sugar and toasted.

LION HOUSE ROLLS

These may be the best rolls ever. Certainly the best I've ever made. I used just over 5 cups of flour, dough was slightly sticky but cleaned sides of bowl. Also brushed tops with melted butter.

Lion House Rolls

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
5-6 cups flour

Melted butter for brushing

In a large bowl, combine the yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes (no need to do this if using instant yeast – just add the yeast and water together with the other ingredients). Add sugar, butter, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add remaining flour gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) until a soft but not sticky dough is formed. Knead the dough for at least five minutes if using an electric mixer and for at least 10 minutes if mixing the dough by hand. When the dough is smooth, supple and elastic, place it in a lightly greased large bowl covered with greased plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled.

Separate the dough into two portions. Roll each section out to an 11X14-inch rectangle. Brush the top with melted butter. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into two pieces, the long way (see photos below). Then slice the dough into five or six strips across so you end up with 10 to 12 small rectangles. Roll each small rectangle up like a snail and place on a silpat-lined or lightly greased baking sheet with the roll resting on it’s open edge. Repeat with the second portion of dough.

Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes until they are nicely browned.