Chicken Soup

Some of the ingredients

Realized this afternoon that I probably had all the ingredients I needed to make a decent pot of chicken soup...maybe not a traditional pot of chicken soup but a mosh posh of what was in the fridge, cupboards and herb garden. I had canned chicken soup last night, and I know with this cold, a pot of fresh soup would be awesome.

Of course my version with have a bit of an asian twist. I am adding ginger, lemongrass, and daikon to this soup. That is my twist. I know that ginger is good for you when you are sick so that is what started it.

So without measurements, this is what I have going...

Chicken breast
Water
Garlic
Black pepper
Rosemary, chives and basil from the herb garden
Organic chicken broth
Zucchini
Broccoli
Baby carrots
Green onion
Yellow onion
Bellpepper
Daikon
Lemongrass, and ginger from the freezer
Whole wheat spiral noodles

I put the rosemary, ginger and lemongrass into a tea strainer so it wouldn't be all over the soup. I haven't added the soft veggies yet since they will overcook, but will add them near the end.

It has been cooking for 1/2 an hour and it smells wonderful. I might not be able to taste it since my tongue got scalded on tea earlier but I am sure my congested sinuses and chest, as well as the rest of my body will enjoy the heat and all the nutrients.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Thai Noodle Soup

Kleenex Tells All

Okay, when you have blown your nose through an entire box of Kleenex Ultra, you have to admit to yourself that you actually do have the head cold you were trying to fight and the battle has been lost.

Today has been productive to a point, even with the cold but it would be a lot more productive without the cold, that is for sure. Add to this Shark Week, a pool full of algae, and a sprinkler system that is not functioning and you have a glimpse into the craziness I am facing. I would prefer to just hang on the couch catching up on past seasons of Dexter, but that is not to be...

Resorted to using some real Sudafed that I had left over from a precription last year because the clogged ears and sinuses were causing my brain to not function and somehow I thought driving a 3000lb vehicle while my brain wasn't functioning was probably a bad idea...LOL.

First stop was to the post office since I hadn't checked our mail since returning from the wedding trip. Next was the pool supply company to see if they could help me figure out what was going on with the system. Left there to fill up the tank, and then to Home Depot to pick up some Weed and Feed for the front lawn as well as some hostas for select spots in the yard. Stopped at the auto parts store for the glue the pool people told me I needed for the gasket fix I did last week, (which of course I can't use until I get the algae issue under control), and then to the store for another box of Kleenex. Finally loaded up, decided to stop at Taco Hell for a fast lunch.

Now I need to get a move on a few tasks outside and inside that I will post about later on the house blog, and some allocated rest so I can get over this crap and move on to tasks that require more exertion.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Caught Up To Me (apparently I am never in a good position for catching a head cold).

Cool Clouds

Took this pic after my MIL noticed them while we were driving back from our family get together last week. They looked super cool, but my experience with photographing some things in their natural state, is that they never look as cool as they did when you saw them with the naked eye.

In this case, these ones are pretty darn close. We didn't get any rain from them but they were definitely interesting to see.
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 Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Soccer

Final Product

Still had to weave in ends

Finished the blanket up last week and sent it in the mail to my niece this week. It came out better than expected and I am sure she is going to love it. I have a lot of yarn left over since I purchased yarn before I completely knew what I was going to do design-wise, so I am thinking I might make the extra yarn into squares and then just store them until a new projects rears its head.

I have started working on the stitching for my quilt from Japan again...would love to get the face of it done so that when the fabric for the rest of it gets here, I will be ready to go. I try to have a little creative something to do while watching TV or a movie. Makes me feel like I am being productive.

Don't know if I have another blanket in me right away but we'll see. I am sure I will see a pattern somewhere that I want to do and then creativity will take over. In the meantime, I have my photos and the Japanese quilt to work on, and of course my A+ certification I should be studying for...LOL
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Finished The Blanket (this is a blanket I made for one of my other nieces)

Peace, Or At Least The Illusion Of It

This is the view looking towards some of the beautiful hills near us while sitting on our front deck. The tinkling of the windchimes, the flapping of the flag (which is actually not flying in this image), the plants, the breeze...all of it, just lovely. I took this pic right before a great thunderstorm came our way. The air was full of the ions, the wind was still in anticipation of the storm. It was amazing. I sat and watched the weather, and read a magazine (something I rarely find time for) and just enjoyed the atmosphere. It is a perfect spot.

And I should get out on the front deck and enjoy it more...but I don't, because I get bogged down in the To Do list and the Make More Stuff For Me To Do list, and the Things You Should Be Doing list.

All Connected

So this is the blanket all put together. I haven't bordered it yet so it isn't DONE done, but it is getting close. Right now, I don't have enough of the off-white to border it so I might try using the dark grey, which is the same color of squares that border the blanket so it might look pretty good.

I am really thrilled how it looks, and while it is really soft, it also has a nice weight to it. It is absolutely my favorite blanket creation so far...might make something like it for myself some day in the future...LOL.

I will mail it to my niece as soon as I am done with it. I asked her if she wanted me to hold on to it for her since it is probably already getting warm where she is, but she insists that she wants it as soon as possible and I am happy to oblige her. I hope she loves it.

It will be weird to be done with it and not have a large project like this to work on...it gives me something to multitask with, and I am sure I will have to find something new to work on. Things like this don't take away from the many, many other projects I am working on for the house so no guilt there.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Just Me?

Ordered New Photo Cards

I realized while writing up my Mother's Day and May birthday cards, that I was getting low on my photo cards I use. I create the images on my computer from photos I have taken and then I upload them to York Photo where I design the card and order them. I try to do a few cards from my macros and then a couple that are scenes. This batch is 3 flower macros and 2 texture macros that look pretty cool.

This is a way for me to be creative when most of my other card making tools are not here, and it is  less expensive way for me to send all the cards I like to send out. If you haven't looked at the price of American Greetings or Hallmark cards lately...it has really gone up.

Anyhow, I should be able to get these cards delivered in time to be ready for the Father's Day and June birthdays that are coming up!
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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Getting Creative