Here is some of those amazing gigapixel photographs where you can zoom in and zoom in and zoom in…
A 16 gigapixel photo of Machu Picchu. This will save you a climb and shortness of breath. :-)
Paris at 26 gigapixels.
London at 80 gigapixels
Budapest at 70 gigapixels. I had no idea that Budapest was nestled in such a wooded, hilly area. It’s beautiful.
Dresden at 10 gigapixels
Friday I was really struggling with my reaction to the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut. There was so much emotional shock and fervor being poured out by many, and yet I found myself moved and dismayed, but not as shocked and grief-stricken as I apparently “should have been”. I felt like I was hardhearted and I was getting those “What’s wrong with me?” thoughts. I also felt frustrated and like something was wrong with the whole picture. Some of it I could vaguely discern, but it was still muddled in my mind.
Then the Lord used a friend’s post on Facebook to help clarify things for me…
WHFoods: Over 100 Quick and Easy Recipes
Here is a recipe finder that allows you to add specific ingredients, exclude specific ingredients, and include a specific nutrient. You can select more than one item in the first two columns by following their instructions. By doing this, you can find quick recipes for special diet needs! What a useful tool!
And, the recipes are quick. They say, “The majority of recipes we offer can be both prepared and cooked in 30 minutes or less, from start to finish.”
The recipes are also flexible. They tell us, “We realize that if our recipes are going to fit your individual tastes, schedule and lifestyle, they can't just dictate exactly which ingredients you need and the exact amount of each one to use.”
If you have no special diet needs, you can also just browse through their recipes and select ones that interest you. Or, if you like to cook healthy, nutritious meals and are just looking for a quick and easy recipe for a specific ingredient, this is a great way to locate something.
A friend of mine whose son is on a very specialized diet right now got this link from his doctor and passed it on.
When I was younger and foolisher (ahem) I thought my Grandma was a bit silly for liking her lettuce spinner so much. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with our method, which was shaking the leaves or patting them with paper towel. Well, it’s a strange, but with at least some things, the older you get the more you think like your mom – and your grandmothers. Now, I think my lettuce spinner is great! (I also love watermelon, but that’s off the subject.)
My local sister-in-law bought me this neat little salad spinner (pictured above) and I’ve learned to use and and enjoy it! Sometimes I do forget to use it still (old habits die hard), but I have remembered a fair amount.
I also figured out that it works for other things besides lettuce. I’ve spun baby carrots and blueberries in it as well. It’s really handy for making smallish fruits and veggies less drippy! And, the removable basket is useful for rinsing small vegetables and fruit under the faucet, then putting it in the spinner to spin. For something that just needs a surface rinse it works as a colander.
Another cool thing about it? I can store my lettuce right in the container in the fridge and it stays nice and fresh! I do drain out the water from the bottom if there’s an excessive amount, but then I just pop the basket holding the lettuce back in and put the lid on and it’s ready for the fridge.
Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I also don’t always really wash it after I use it. I will if I’ve used it to store lettuce for awhile, but if it’s just a short job I usually rinse it and put it in the drainer. My reasoning is that we’re going to eat the fresh carrots or lettuce or berries just the way they came out of the spinner, so why is the spinner “dirty”? I only rinse and drain if it’s visibly dirty or been storing something for awhile. :-) Easy peasy.
(Yeah, I can hear one of my local friends now asking me to please wash the lettuce spinner before they come to dinner if we’re having salad. Haha.)
Since the The Simple Woman’s Day Book post was fun and one reader especially liked it, I thought I might try doing more in that vein. I took some ideas from others and mixed them with some of my own. I may keep on doing something like this from time to time. Hope you enjoy it. :-)
This Morning I like the…
Smell of…fresh air.
Sound of…birds singing outside our living room.
Taste of…a banana, mixed berry, yogurt smoothie.
Sight of…sunshine.
Feel of…a jacket (Yes, it’s actually cool enough to wear a jacket inside this morning, though our weather this December has been unseasonably warm.)
Good Things about Today:
My husband has a job, and he was able to get to it (our own car is in for repairs, so we are borrowing my brother’s.)
I have family nearby whom I hope to visit with later.
Things Already Accomplished Today:
Made a banana, berry, yogurt smoothie. (Bet you didn’t see that one coming.) ;-) Also fried an egg.
Entered some fabric giveaways online and also discovered some neat quilting blogs.
Let the cat out and petted her briefly. (She was in one of her weird moods.)
Started working on the laundry – again.
Had my special time with Lord while doing my light therapy.
Created this blog post. :-)
Things that Need to Be Done – Hopefully Today:
Process and can the green enchilada sauce that is in the fridge and freezer.
Dust the house.
Random Photo from My World:
A batch of green tomato enchilada sauce before it was cooked. Hopefully I’ll get the recipe posted for you all soon.
Quote for Today:
“You’re never safe from surprise till your dead.” – Irene Isenhart
Verse for Today:
Psalms 68:9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
