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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Checking in....

I'm well past the 6 month, mid-year mark for my 2010 To Do List and I'm sad to report I've got very little of it crossed off. The conference planning took a great deal of my time from January to June and now from July to December I'll be playing catch-up. Of course, there really isn't any pressure. This is just a list for the sake of making a list and a goal to work towards. Okay so what progress, exactly, have I made....

2010 To Do List:

1. Print digital pictures and put them in photo albums. No progress at all. Except I've taken more pictures that will need to be printed off and put into albums. Sigh. I think to make this task a little more manageable, I'm going give myself a smaller target - Big/Little photos (that is photos of my Little and I doing things). This actually spans 2.5 years, but I've already got the digital images organized and can probably easily select the good ones to print, identify and put in an album.

2. Knit a pair of socks. Oh dear. I've failed miserably at this one, for the 2nd year in a row. In fact, I abandoned knitting almost entirely during the busy-ness of conference planning. It wasn't until after conference that I picked it up again...and then I finished one project and started and finished two more: fingerless gloves and a hot water bottle cozy. I'm not going to give up yet though. I still have a few months. And I've found a pattern that looks simple enough. Now I just have to get started!

3. Buy a GPS and go geocaching. I'm happy to report that I DID buy a Magellan Explorist GPS, but still haven't tried it out yet. I've heard conflicting reports on how well it works in the woods, and the quality of maps (Garmin are reported to have better maps). But I'll give it a try. I'm hoping to have a chance to take a geo-caching course in September (that's a whole other blogpost!), so I may actually be able to check this one off my list.

4. Make a fabric/ribbon memo board. Uh. Yeah. Haven't started this one either. Sigh.


5. Read Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Started. Got 30 pages in and couldn't get any further. It's not exactly a light summertime read. This one may actually take years for me to check off the list.

6. Get involved in my church in September. Haven't looked into this, but I'm sure there will be areas where I can help - there are always are in church!

7. Frame my gerbera print. This has been low on the priority list, but really ought to get done. Framing is so expensive and the print is good quality, but not exactly worth the $100 + it would cost to get a frame made for it. It's an odd shape but I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a frame at Wal-Mart or Zellers that will work. I can think of other places to put my money.

8. Buy a headboard for my bed. I've been scoping out Kijiji Halifax, but haven't seen anything. I've had a couple offered to me from family and I may take them up on it, provided I'm allowed to paint them first.


9. Attempt a pie crust (again!). Okay, it's too hot to fuss with pastry in the summertime so I'll save this for the fall/winter season. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie......


10. Become a Host in the YMCA's Immigrant Host P
rogram. I need to contact the organizer and get myself on the training list for the fall. Hopefully I'm not too late.

I guess I've got a lot of catching up to do. Oh, and I meant to add one more thing to the list. Give kayaking a try. And this one is looking like it's entirely possible! Yay!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Delicious!

I'm out of the habit of blogging. I have lots of lovely pictures to post, but keep forgetting to do so. Maybe this will get me started!

Last week I made a delicious summery salsa and I wanted to share it. I'm not even sure if anyone is following my blog anymore, where I've been such an infrequent poster!

The original recipe is from Whole Foods, one of my favourite sources for recipes. Almost every recipe I've tried has turned out perfectly and is delicious and full of flavour!

The following is copied directly from Whole Foods's Recipe website. I didn't do much measuring. I chopped up about 3 tomoatoes and 2 nectarines, and added more cilantro and lime than was called for, just because I love cilantro and lime. :) I served the salsa on top of pan-fried haddock (which you can't see for all the salsa in the picture above). Also, I don't have the patience to cube everything so neatly as Whole Foods did....but it still looks delicious.


Fresh Salsa

Makes about 2 cups

Salsa has lots of advantages: It seems indulgent, but it's actually a healthy choice, fat free and loaded with flavor and vegetables. It's inexpensive, especially when the ingredients are home grown or in season. It's versatile because you can make it hotter with more peppers or make it sweeter with fruit. And it's easy!

Ingredients

2 cups chopped tomatoes (or a combination of tomatoes and fresh peaches, nectarines, mangoes or grapes)
1/3 cup chopped yellow or white onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 to 2 jalapeƱo or serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Salt to taste

Method

Put all ingredients into a bowl, toss well and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 4oz/1/2 cup/116g-wt.): 25 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 6g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 1g protein