Can you really teach an old dog a new trick?

Yes; I would say so. Of course, it’s not always easy, but learning something new or trying something new can often be quite enjoyable. (This is a longer-than-usual post, so if you don’t have the time to read it, just scroll to the end for a delightful recipe I’m sharing.)

But I also admit it can be frustrating, time-consuming, and challenging. Ever get a new computer? If I were in my 20s or 30s, no doubt it would be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But as a woman in her 60s, it’s anything but.

The steps include researching what you want/need, trying to understand all the terms and technical jargon that’s changed radically since you last bought one a decade ago, choosing a budget followed by searching for the best price/warranty, and getting the new one home.

Let the fun begin.

But now that it’s home the fun part should start. Right?

Not necessarily. Because now you have to set it up. Everything is always advertised as plug and play but despite following the step-by-step directions, often something isn’t working the way it should. Now you google your desperately needed answers hoping you’ll find what you want for your very specific problem.

Of course, if you have a 12-year old nearby, no google needed. Just ask him or her to come over and you’ll be good to go in no time. Not kidding!!!

Okay, the computer is unboxed, set up, and is working. So now you can go to town. Right? Wrong.

Your programs and files need to be loaded on the new PC. And this is worse than the research, buying process, and getting it set up and ready to use.

Hopefully, you have your product keys close by along with the software info such as a physical disk or a download site. If your software is too old, it won’t be compatible with the new system. Grrrmmmph.

But let’s hope for the best and assume you were able to reload the apps. Now you’re set. Right?

You’re not done yet.

The internet. Have you connected to it yet? Notice anything? Are your bookmarks there? Those saved shortcuts that help you navigate faster and find the obscure things you marked so you have them handy for the future? If not, you’ll need to address that. So, signing into your search engine is a must. And if those bookmarks don’t show up? Google how to bring them over and hopefully, they will soon show up.

Okay, okay. Now you’re set. Hmmm, not quite yet. You still need to transfer all your files from the old PC to the new one. So, you need to determine if you are going to copy to a flash drive, external hard drive, find someone with cables and a program that will suck it off of the old and deliver it to the new, etc.

But maybe while you’re at it you decide this is a good time to only bring over what you really want. There must be a ton of files you don’t really need. So now you have to sort through all your files and this takes time because decisions have to be made. The same is true with your photos as well, unless you have them all in the cloud.

The photos can really slow you down if you decide to do a thorough sorting. Why bring over duplicates, bad photos, pics with people you don’t remember, and so on. More time, more effort, more challenge.

At long last, the new PC is ready, up-to-date with software apps, your documents, files, and photos. Hopefully, you brought your games over, too. Because you need a little downtime after all this.

In hindsight, it took time, but you are finally where you want to be. And hopefully, it was worth it. With technology, we have no recourse but to keep learning. If you stop, you aren’t just behind, you’re in the dust. Things just move too quickly. And all this to say, you definitely can teach an old dog new tricks, if that dog is willing to learn.

A reward for all that hard work.

Since this post is about the importance of learning something new or trying to stay current with information in a fast-changing world, I’m going to reward you…with you a new recipe, new to me that is.

I have a chicken pot pie recipe that my family loves. I think it’s been around since New Jersey which means in the 90s. It’s so good, I’ve never tried another one…until last week. This old dog thought she had the perfect recipe and found no reason to change it up. But my new trick was to try some new recipes so I gave it try.

Mom’s Chicken Pot Pie from All Recipes

To my surprise and delight, it’s a keeper. It’s super quick to put together and absolutely delicious. Using ingredients you typically have on hand, along with a traditional top and bottom pastry crust (homemade or ready-made from the dairy section of the store), I think you’ll like it, too. (NOTE: I used Aldi’s brand and it was great.)

I did make a few changes. It called for canned veggies and potatoes but I substituted frozen veggies and two small potatoes I quickly cooked in the microwave. I also eliminated the bottom crust to save some fat and calories. It was so good without it that I’ll keep making it this way. Everything else was the same. See what you think and let me know. A big shout out to All Recipes.

Mimi

 

Clearly, I can Identify

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

While the boys were here recently, I served up some dessert: mint chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream on top. And I must say, I could truly relate to Callan’s instructions. “Just a little ice cream with lots and lots and lots of whipped cream.” You can tell from the picture, he was one happy camper.

I have often said over the years when asked about dessert, “Yes, I would love some. But hold the dessert and just give me the whipped cream.” Okay, okay, I never actually said it out loud, but it’s definitely what I was thinking in my mind!

Callan and I are of the same mind concerning whipped cream. You can never have too much!

Reflecting Christ to Others

Sharing something in common with one of your grands is a treasured experience. But my prayer as a grandma is that my grands will find something in me they want to share that is much more valuable than a love for whipped cream: a desire to love God and know Him more each day.

That’s a tall order, isn’t it! But at this point in my life, it’s the most important thing I can share with my loved ones…especially my well-loved little ones.

Matthew 5:16:

…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

My Prayer

Father, my prayer is that my life will truly be a reflection of You with my actions and words pointing others to You, and You alone.

Mimi

A delicious bite for you.

Credit: Gimme Some Oven

Oh my, oh my

Just a quick post to share some deliciousness with you, courtesy of Gimme Some Oven.

Went to visit friends for dinner and game night. My part was to bring a little something sweet that didn’t destroy your day’s calorie count.

A quick internet search brought me this goodie: chocolate and bananas. Super easy, super-fast, super delicious. (https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/salted-chocolate-frozen-banana-bites)

Salted Chocolate Frozen Banana Bites

You’ll need: 3 ripe bananas, 1 cup chocolate chips, 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, coarse sea salt, and toothpicks.

Step 1: Cut the bananas cut into 1” or 1-1/2” pieces. Place them on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Insert toothpicks in each one and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Step 2: While bananas are freezing, prepare homemade Magic Shell by microwaving (in a large bowl) the chocolate chips and coconut oil for 30 seconds. Stir, then continue in 15 second segments until melted. Set aside and let it come to room temp. (By the way, this mixture can be stored at room temperature for up to 30 days.)

Step 3: Dip banana bites into the chocolate covering all the way or part way (your choice). Sprinkle with sea salt before the shell hardens. Eat immediately or return to freezer. Remove from freezer 5-10 minutes before serving.

That’s it for this week.

Just the recipe to share this week. It was indeed an exciting week and I’ll share a little about it next Monday.

Please plan on making these soon. They look so nice and the taste is just wonderful. As an added bonus, it’s easy to keep a bunch in the freezer to have on hand anytime a little “sweet” is called for. And, these would be a great activity for when the grands are visiting.

Mimi

 

 

So proud of my husband.

Look at my brave guy. It’s been about 28 years since Greg has tried a brussel sprout. Last time was when we had a Russian immigrant living with us for several months. Another church member who spoke fluent Russian was helping us communicate with Lydia, something we were so thankful for. He and his wife invited us to dinner where they served some typically Russian food.

First up was borscht. While Greg will loudly complain about it, it really wasn’t that bad. Just a different kind of soup. But following that, we were served the biggest bowl of brussel sprouts we had ever seen. There must have been hundreds in that bowl and yet there were only 5 adults at the table.

Wanting to be polite we ate those little cabbagy looking things. Eeww. Still sends shivers down my spine.

In any case, despite hearing from others that roasted brussel sprouts are quite delicious, neither Greg or I have eaten them since.

However, this weekend our precious daughter-in-law served them to us with dinner. I was determined to try and like them. And I did. But Greg was going to take a pass, remembering vividly the giant bowl of them from 28 years ago. But he girded himself with resolve and not only did he eat one…he ate all that were served! Way to go Greg.

Did he like them? No. Nope. Not at all. Will he eat them again? Don’t count on it. But at least he tried.

We often form conclusions about things without much knowledge. Like the brussel sprouts, it may be a new food we won’t try because it looks strange or has a funny name. It might be a social situation we pass up simply because we get anxious about meeting new people and wondering what we’ll talk about with them.

With our kids or grandkids, we urge them on as they try new things but as adults we often find the we give ourselves permission to sit back and not face some of these new challenges…mostly because of fear of the unknown.

And what a shame that is. We actually can end up on the losing end when we let caution rule supreme. Yes, we definitely need to use the wisdom of our years and good old common sense to help guide our choices. And caution can be a great partner in helping make those decisions but if we let it rule simply because we’d rather stay in our comfort zones, then we may end up missing out on a whole world of wonderfulness just waiting to be discovered.

So I hope I continue trying new things, stretching my wings, and making new discoveries. I hope I can set a good example for my kids and grandkids as I face new challenges. And you can be sure I’ll share the results with you.

How about you? Tried anything new lately? A food? An sport? A new genre of music? Please share; I’d love to hear all about it.

Mimi

Oops, now there’s a bit of a mess!

A week ago, after a trip to Costco, we started on our way back. I remember asking Hubby if he thought the eggs (a 2-dozen pack) were safe on the backseat. “They’re fine,” he said. So off we went.

 

All went well until we were nearing home and the hubster had to slam on his brakes. We were fine; but uh oh, the eggs. I heard them slide off the seat and land on the floor yet a quick peek seemed to show they were fine.

 

However, once home we realized they were not fine at all. Half of them were either smashed or cracked with the insides leaking out.

 

Its such a great picture of our lives. Sometimes life is going just fine. No bumps in the road, smooth sailing. Then boom! In an instant the brakes are slammed on and something we didn’t expect happens. We’re often left with a mess, thinking all is lost.

 

Yes, many times these interruptions in life bring about circumstances we can do nothing about. But sometimes they simply need a different perspective. Instead of our immediate thoughts that all is lost, if we stop and breathe…and most importantly, pray, we often find something salvageable in our mess.

 

Maybe life has recently thrown you a curve ball and you feel fresh out of good options to remedy things. But rather than succumbing to despair, or throwing a pity party, maybe the answer is to turn to the Lord, seek His direction and wisdom and find instead a work-around. Maybe there’s a blessing just waiting for you to ask.

 

Easy to do? Not always. After the egg mishap, I was at the sink washing off the 12 good eggs, getting ready to toss the broken ones, which had been my first thought. But thankfully, I continued looking at that mess and soon a second option presented itself…quiche! (And it was as tasty as it looks in the picture.)

 

I know life may be treating you well right now and if so, I’m sharing your joy. But when that curve ball comes your way, take a minute. Don’t despair yet. Have hope. There just may be a great remedy that’s only a prayer away.

 

Spend some time with your Heavenly Father and see if He can share a different perspective with you. Then shoot me a comment. I would love to hear all about your triumph.

 

For your encouragement: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT)

 

Mimi

Oops.

Salvaged freezer items.

Two oops actually. (1) I forgot to schedule this post for Monday so am posting it today instead. And (2), read on to learn about my next oops.

Recently, hubby and I spent an afternoon combining a trip to Costco with catching a movie at a theater, both about 35 minutes away. Knowing we would be gone for hours and also knowing we would be purchasing refrigerator items that needed to remain cold, right before hopping into the car we pulled out some bags of ice and ice packs from the freezer, tossing them in the cooler.

We did our Costco run, saw the movie, and arrived home about 4 hours later. The Costco items were still cold from being in the cooler so we felt very successful about our trip.

But upon entering the garage I began to hear a very distinctive beeping which turned out to be the freezer alarm. You guessed it. The freezer door had been open the entire time and it was now dripping with melting ice, circulating warm air, sending water all over the garage floor, and it was easy to see many items were already ruined. So, we quickly began mopping up the water, tossing out the ruined food, and then we turned our attentions on figuring out what, if anything, could be saved.

Cooked goodies.

I ended up with lots of blueberries I had lovingly picked by hand several months prior, a bunch of chicken and ground beef that was still cool to the touch, and a few other odds and ends. Everything else was pretty much mush and was thrown away.

But my afternoon was just beginning because now came the task of doing something with what remained. So, I cooked. The raw chicken and beef became dinner over the next few days with the remainder going in to the freezer for future meals. The bread products were eaten over the next week. But all those blueberries…what to do!

With the blueberries, I made a crumb pie, muffins, and the remaining berries were cooked down with thickeners to be used for pie or a cobbler in the future.

I have to admit; the situation didn’t get the better of me. I was grateful we were able to save some of the items. Plus, I learned a very important lesson. And while I’ve owned freezers for decades without a problem like this, I now am very careful to be double sure the door is completely closed after I retrieve an item.

And through it all I laughed. Laughed that it happened, laughed that I had to quickly get in the kitchen for several hours to try to salvage what I could. And even laughed at throwing out the entire blueberry pie because I hadn’t thoroughly drained the berries after thawing and the excess juice soaked the crust in a very unappetizing way. It was basically a horrible pie.

Life kind of hits us like that every now and then. Sometimes we’re more prepared than others. But in all cases, we need to make the best of the situation, deal directly with whatever is happening in a timely way, try to view it from God’s perspective, and when necessary…learn from it.

Freezer items aren’t a big deal to lose. Yes, it cost me some time and yes, we lost the value of many items, but it was fixable. But when life hits us hard, it isn’t always immediately fixable and sometimes losing money or health is devastating. And most times there really isn’t anything to laugh about.

But after walking with the Lord for years, this I do know: God is still God. He still loves me and He still loves you. We may not understand all that’s happening and most times we don’t have his perspective on what is happening or why; but He is completely trustworthy.

Those two precious Bible verses from (Proverbs 3:5-7a) that we know and love remind us of this: From The Message: Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!

And from the New International Version the same verse reads: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

I certainly haven’t learned to do this consistently but I’m welcoming lessons that will help me more clearly see that so much of what we worry about really doesn’t matter. What matters is keeping our eyes on Him, seeking His plan, following Him, and learning to completely trust Him to take care of us.

How about you? Any life lessons you’ve learned that you’d care to share?

Mimi

 

Are you kidding me?

So…I had quite the adventure this past week.

It all began last Tuesday when I tried to donate blood for the second time in three days. You get your mini physical, they test your hemoglobin and if the number is high enough, you get to donate.

Part of the process is having your identity verified in their system which is done by showing your driver’s license. So, I dutifully pulled it out, got tested, was rejected again, but made the best of it by picking up a few packages of cookies on the way out, vowing to return soon.

The next day I pulled out my wallet to use a credit card when it became immediately noticeable that my license was missing. What?

Phone calls to the blood center and other places I had been that day all yielded nothing. Three looks through the purse and car, followed by countless checks throughout the house also yielded nothing.

Since I had been online freezing my credit with the three reporting agencies (due to the recent Equifax fiasco) Greg asked if I had used it for anything I was doing. I replied no.

Early today I returned to the blood center to look for myself. It definitely wasn’t there so I drove right to DMV where I had a wonderful experience getting a new license. I kid you not. It was great. Total time was 10-15 minutes. A side bonus is that I recently cut my hair short so the new license picture reflects my current look!

Another bonus is that afterwards, I returned to the blood center to be retested and happily was able to donate today. Once back home, I proudly showed off my new license to Greg. End of story. Or so I thought.

An hour later, I had to scan a document and as I stood in front of the printer I had this déjà vu moment that I might have scanned my license the other day. One of the agencies wouldn’t accept my online credit freeze. Instead I had to print all sorts of documents and use snail mail to submit them.

You guessed it. When I opened the lid, there was my old license! The timing was perfect and quite ironic, wasn’t it, as I had just gotten my new one. The license is now in the shredding pile and I’m still laughing and shaking my head.

While I feel rather silly, I am also quite thankful because the DMV experience which can often be horrid, was actually pleasant. But more importantly, I’m thrilled my license isn’t floating around somewhere for someone else to find and possibly use illegally.

I don’t always sail through such an experience with a smile on my face but this one actually had me laughing at myself.

I don’t think I’m alone in being forgetful occasionally or in running around trying to fix things that actually don’t need fixing at all. And I’m sure there will be more “fun” times in my future, but for now I’m considering it my dose of spiritual medicine as is mentioned in Proverbs 17:22a “A cheerful (or merry) heart is good medicine.”

Mimi

May I have a salad please? The one with bacon.

The salad I was supposed to have.

Since moving to Clermont in September, hubby and I rarely eat fast food. They’re just too far away. But last week, loaded we ventured to McDonald’s to order a quarter-pounder meal for Greg and the salad with bacon for me. There are only two salads on the menu so even without knowing the name, the cashier was able to easily ring me up.

It was an early supper so the place was practically deserted when we walked in. Despite that, it seemed to take forever for our food to arrive. When it did, I discovered my salad was covered with corn and tortilla chips instead of it being a tossed salad with bacon. Hmm, I think they got it wrong.

So I debated for a few minutes and finally decided to take it back and explained to the cashier that I ordered the salad with bacon and got this one instead. He shook his head as if to say “That silly kitchen…” After reiterating I wanted salad with bacon he took it back to be corrected.

More waiting and the salad was eventually delivered to the table with apologies. I popped off that top once again and uh oh, there was bacon alright…but they had simply put the bacon on the southwestern salad I had taken back.

Again I made the familiar trek to the cashier and explained that I still didn’t get the correct salad and asked them to please correct the order. The third salad finally arrived and was indeed correct. Greg was done with his meal by this time so we brought it home with us and I enjoyed it the next day.

While a little perturbing, in the scheme of things, this McDonald’s dinner incident was no big deal. In fact by Salad #3, it was downright funny. And I was able to laugh it off.

However, that’s not always how I respond to inconveniences. Sometimes something so minor will really tick me off. I will feel irritated and frustrated. Even worse, is when I lay blame on someone else or just overall share my discontent with them.

Really Cindi? What’s the big deal? Every single one of us makes mistakes and every one of us is on the receiving end of someone else’s mistakes. It’s life and it happens.

This week I was an overcomer. No frustration on my end, no blame put on someone else, and no bad attitude shared with the hubster. But my hope is that I’ll “remember the salad” in coming days when I may once again be faced with an opportunity to extend grace and mercy to others.

How about you? Ever find yourself overreacting to a very minor incident? Here’s a good verse to help us all remember what to do:

Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.

(Luke 6:36 AMP)

Mimi

I know better; I really do!

Your eyes do not deceive you. That’s Mimi tossing out the four dozen cookies I baked last week.

While I don’t pretend to be a gourmet chef or outstanding pastry baker, I do fairly well in the kitchen. I understand that cooking is one thing and baking is another. That is, baking is science and needs to be more exacting.

So what went wrong when it started out so right? I was using coconut oil instead of butter in the chocolate chip cookie dough and despite reading that the dough would be more like batter (wet), at the end I did my own thing and added enough flour so the result was a dough that looked more traditional. BIG MISTAKE!

Cookies were formed, put on baking sheets, and baked to perfection. All was well until I ate one. And then another. Yuck. Pah-tooey! Every single one was tasteless and floury. Of course I thought maybe my discerning palate was over-analyzing so I brought one to hubby to taste. The hubster agreed with my assessment. Hence you see me tossing my hour’s work into the trash.

What was so wrong about deviating just a little? About trying my own thing? About ignoring all the rules of science in baking and thinking I knew best? I’ll tell you…I should have just followed the directions. They were there for a reason. And for the best results, at least in baking, the rules should be followed exactly step by step.

We also need to follow the rules in life. As kids, we followed our parents’ rules because if we didn’t punishment of some kind was sure to follow.

In school we knew homework, performing well on tests, and class participation were important parts of the grading system. By not following those rules you might end up with a bad report card.

Even at work we have rules to follow from HR requirements to job duties. Not following those rules could lead to dismissal.

Our heavenly Father also provided rules to help us. From the Ten Commandments to Jesus’ words in the Gospels to the letters written to the churches, all were provided to reveal Him to us, show us The Way, provide access to Him, and grant us life in Him eternally. God’s rules are there to give us abundant life and to keep us from making some disastrous mistakes.

It is up to us to choose God, choose His ways, and choose to obey Him no matter how we feel or think. I used all the right ingredients in the cookie recipe and followed it almost exactly. I only changed up one little thing. But that one choice destroyed the whole batch. “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” (I Peter 1:14 NIV)

We don’t have to live in ignorance. Those who know Christ have the Spirit within to teach and to guide. Our part is to obey. I encourage all of us to decide following God’s path and His rules is really the only right choice.

Mimi

Silly in our 60’s

Throughout our lives, each new decade brings change. Many are great and wonderful such as wisdom, retirement, or grandchildren. Some not so great or wonderful such as our bodies aging.

I remember the day I first realized I might need reading glasses. I noticed I had double vision while reading. My older friends smiled knowingly as I wondered aloud what was happening. Once I was assured that I was now far-sighted I enjoyed finding some fashionable glasses and merrily accepted this rite of passage.

Realizing I needed vision correction was easy. One day I could see clearly; one day I could not. Glasses were the answer.

But other issues are trickier. Hearing for instance. Unlike changing vision, you don’t often realize what you’re missing. Because, after all, you can’t hear what you can’t hear!!!

I know I have some hearing loss because I took a test in my late 50’s and was diagnosed as “hearing loss consistent with age.” Hrrmmmph. I don’t like the way that sounds. Whatever that hearing loss is, I don’t notice it as I can still hear the tiniest of sounds and have no problem whatsoever with conversation. Not so with hubby.

Hubby’s hearing loss is a bit different. And while it doesn’t yet interfere a lot with his life it does make for some interesting challenges.

Recently, I mentioned there was freshly made ham salad for sandwiches along with some leftover potato salad. Greg appreciated that and happily made his sandwich.

Greg & His Scrumptious Sandwich

Taking the sandwich with him to the table, he eagerly took his first large bite. (Let me interrupt for a second here. I happen to make great ham salad. It’s a long-held recipe that turns out perfect every time.)

Having eaten my ham salad for our entire marriage, Greg was anticipating yet another wonderful lunchtime experience. Only, this time something was off. After the first bite he took another…and with a strange look on his face made some comment about it tasting different. And in that instant I knew exactly what happened and why he wasn’t enjoying his lunch.

Greg wasn’t eating a scrumptious ham salad sandwich. No, he was eating a potato salad sandwich!

He must have heard some of the words I spoke such as ham salad, lunch, and sandwich, but he didn’t hear all of them such as potato salad on the side. He simply picked up the first container, figured it was ham salad, didn’t pay attention to how different it looked, and smeared it on his bread. But that first bite was an eye-opener for sure!

And know what he did? He just continued on eating that sandwich!

And that, my friends, is where a sense of humor comes in. Lunch that day was not a great culinary experience and in fact was quite a let-down. But realizing the opportunity, I immediately said “I SO have to blog about this” and he graciously allowed me to snap a pic and publish the story.

A sense of humor will go a long way to help us when we find our car keys in the freezer. It will help when we walk into a room only to realize we have no idea why we went in there in the first place. Humor will get us through our own silly age-related situations and it will go a long way toward helping others as they encounter them as well.

We are reminded in Proverbs 17:22 that “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.” (The Message)

I’m 61 so these kind of experiences are just beginning and promise to become more abundant. I am determined to allow fun and merriment to grow and crowd out “gloom and doom” thinking that may try to accompany the physical changes we experience in the aging process. I hope you will, too.

Mimi