2 Kinds of People: Part 1

Yesterday, I saw a meme on Facebook and it pushed all sorts of buttons with me--I don't have a lot of pet peeves, but one of them is absolutely this when it comes to texting:

I can't stand the "type b" person's texting style. I drives me crazy when I am texting someone who sends several in a row instead of one long one. I'm a super slow texter (I use one finger on my small iPhone 6 and I can't help but correct spelling/grammar when I make a mistake) so when someone texts me, I'll start a reply, and then I get hit with another text. I delete what I've written and start a new response, and then boom. Another text. Repeat over and over.

I have a couple of friends that text this way, and when Jerry hears a string of text notifications, he'll say, "Hey, so-and-so is texting you!" Hahaha. Jerry texts this way sometimes, but he knows how crazy it makes me, so he tries not to.

This made me think of a compatibility quiz book that I bought a long time ago for Jerry and me. It was super fun going through it, but it's been so long I wanted to go through it again. And since I wasn't sure what to write about today, I thought it would be fun to post the first 10 sets of illustrations with Jerry's and my answers. (I'll post 10 at a time on days when I just don't have anything to write about)

We called this the "incompatibility quiz" because we have absolutely nothing in common! Hahaha, we somehow make our relationship work, though :)

Here are some diagrams with Jerry's and my responses right after each set.

Bed: Made or unmade?

Katie: "I can't go to sleep if the bed isn't made first."

Jerry: "You can't go to bed if there is a single wrinkle in the fitted sheet!"

Katie: "True."

Jerry: "I prefer to have a made bed, but I don't like to make it."

Katie: "Lucky for you, I make the bed the second you get up! I would make it while you're still lying in it if I could."

Computer: With headphones or without?

Jerry: "Wired or bluetooth?"

Katie: "That's not the question! You're making it complicated."

Jerry: "I prefer no headphones, but if I'm watching a video, I prefer headphones."

Katie: "Why would anyone wear headphones if they're not watching a video?"

Jerry: "Oh yeah. I prefer headphones. Bluetooth, though."

Katie: "I don't like headphones. I don't know if I've ever even used the headphones jack on my computer!"

Pie: Fork or spoon?

Jerry: "Fork. Why would you eat it with a spoon?! Whoa, I felt instant anger right there. Why would anyone eat pie with a spoon? What one are you?"

Katie: "What do you think?"

Jerry: "It doesn't matter, it's pie?"

Katie: "Touché."

Alarms: Just one or several?

Jerry: "Mine looks like the one on the right, but I would prefer for it to be the one on the left."

Katie: "I have only one alarm for 6:00, and I'm always awake before then anyways. I wish I could sleep like you."

Wrapping gifts: Neat or messy?

Jerry: "Well, I don't work at the mall. I guess the one on the right. It doesn't really matter when you just look at the front face, though, you don't see all the little connectors and folds and creases at the top. The presentation, it's all about the presentation."

Katie: "Are you drunk?! What are you even describing? I'm definitely a messy wrapper. I try to wrap neatly, but I always have either way too much or too little paper."

Hoodies: Zipper or no zipper?

Jerry: "No zipper! AND--no drawstrings. I've never seen anybody use those."

Katie: "I use drawstrings sometimes."

Jerry: "Well, you're the only one. Nobody else uses them. Zipper or no zipper?"

Katie: "No zipper! I can't wear hoodies with zippers. They're too uncomfortable."

Pickles or no pickles?

Jerry: "Um... pickles."

Katie: "If you have to think about it, then you're not a pickle person. Do you even eat the pickles that come on your plate?"

Jerry: "No, but if they are on my burger, I won't pick them off."

Katie: "But you call yourself a pickle person?"

Jerry: "Yup."

Katie: "I'm a serious pickle person. I ask for extra pickles! And a fried pickle appetizer if they have it."

Feed the meter or chance a ticket?

Jerry: "I prefer to feed the meter. Wait, who would prefer the ticket?! How hard is it? You pay either $4 or $40--it's not even a question."

Katie: "I can count on one hand the number of times I've parked in a spot with a meter. I've always just put whatever change I have into it. BUT, remember when I got a parking ticket?"  (Here is the story about that)

Signature: Neat or messy?

Katie: "I can just answer this for you! Super messy."

Jerry: "Yeah, super messy."

Katie: "Mine's messy, too. Not as bad as yours, though. You can't really tell what mine says unless you know my name ahead of time--then you might be able to see it."

Abbreviated texts: Yes or no?

Jerry: "No. It looks like you're just writing out a bunch of license plates."

Katie: "Definitely no. It would take me longer to figure out the abbreviations than it would to just automatically type the words."

Isn't it fun to think about? Jerry and I laughed a lot while we went through these. (I only posted a short snippet of the conversations.) Feel free to chime in on any that may "push your buttons" like the texting does for me.

Here is a link to the 2 Kinds of People book on Amazon (affiliate link).

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Affirmators! Week 7: Love

Affirmators! are cards with positive affirmations written on them. My friend John sent me a deck of them and I've been drawing one from the deck each Sunday. I hang it on my bathroom mirror to keep it in the front of my mind and try to work on that topic through the week. That's what this Affirmators! post series is about.

Last week, the card I drew was "Joy". I wrote about why this is a little unrealistic (basically trying to force joyfulness when you just don't feel it) but I've been pretty happy lately and it hasn't felt like I'm struggling to pull joy out of nowhere. Maybe some other time that card would feel more relevant. I didn't think much about it this week because I didn't really feel the need to, if that makes sense.

So, on to today's card...

Love

Love is a many-splendored thing. Today I will notice and appreciate at least three of those splendors. Like the fact that puppies make me feel like a parent. Or the surge of self-congratulation I feel when I sink a three-point trash-basket shot on the first try. Or how 'bout the chills I get when singing along to (name of song--you know the one).

When I read "love" I assumed it would have something to do with love between people--families, partners, friends, etc. But I guess this is an all-encompassing type of love.

First, I wanted to think of a good song to fill in the blank with. Immediately, the first song to pop into my head was 'Beautiful Day' by U2. Try to listen to it and NOT feel 10% happier. I love to sing along to this song in the car, with the windows down, on a--well--beautiful day. I actually remember one day when I was going to an appointment with my psychiatrist, the song 'Crazy Bitch' by Buckcherry came on. I thought that was ironic and fun. When it was followed by 'Beautiful Day', it just felt too perfect. Haha!

Anyway, three splendors that I noticed and appreciated today...

1) The cozy comfort that my new summer throw blanket gives me. I am in LOVE with this blanket! When Luke was born, Becky had some very lightweight gauzy blankets for him that were super soft. I had never felt a blanket like that before. They were as light as air and very comforting. Whenever I've seen them (Luke and Riley still use them all the time) I've thought, "I wish they made these for adults!"

Little did I know, they do. I never thought to look it up! But I wanted a very lightweight blanket for summer and after some searching through other blankets online, I was surprised to see several blankets like Luke's and Riley's. After sifting through all of those, I settled on this one. It's the same fabric, only there are four layers of it. It's still super lightweight and airy. It's truly the perfect summer throw. (This is technically a twin size, but I read that they run small and a throw wasn't an option. The twin size is perfect for a throw.) It looks thicker in the photo because it's folded.

In the mornings, I like to sit in the corner of the couch, light therapy lamp next to me, with my summer throw and my decaf coffee and read my book. I've been getting up super early lately and this time in the morning is my favorite part of the day.  (Here is a link to the blanket on Amazon - affiliate link)

2) The feeling of being an aunt. I saw Luke and Riley today and there was a moment with Luke that just made me feel so happy to be an aunt. We sat down side-by-side to watch the ants in the ant farm. He kept asking me questions about everything--why are they doing this? What is that one doing? Where did they get all that sand? How did it make a big pile like that? And for the love of God, why did you buy me ants that sting?! (We agreed to keep the ant farm at my house because he's afraid that they will get loose at his house and sting him.)

I answered the questions with all the patience in the world, because he's learning and I am so lucky that I get to teach him something--even if it's as silly as an ant farm. Knowing that Luke and Riley look to me to answer questions they have makes me feel good. I wish I had this kind of patience when my kids were their age. I don't think many of us realize how special those moments are until it's too late. Being able to really embrace it now as an aunt feels redeeming somehow.

3) The excitement of giving someone a gift. Giving gifts is one of my very favorite things in life. Since Luke had decided to keep the ants at my house, I wanted to give him something else for his birthday. I bought him a lava lamp--which may be an odd choice for most people, but there was meaning behind it and I was excited to give it to him. It felt like a gift that would have special meaning to us. 

Luke has bad dreams sometimes and I always want to make him feel comfortable when he stays the night over here. He loves it when I turn on my lava lamp (my sister gave it to me for Christmas when I was a young teen!) next to the bed. I lie down next to him, and after he asks me lots of questions about how it works, he likes to watch the lava move around while he falls asleep--it's a nice, calming night light.

'Love' feels like an odd word-choice for this Affirmators! card, but I'm not sure what else it would be called. Regardless, I am going to try and think of at least one thing each day that gives me "the feels". It's nice to recognize them :)

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HERITAGE RECIPE: Nut & Raisin Sandwiches on Graham Bread

I'm excited to finally be able to make this! I have seen several recipes in the heritage cookbooks that call for "graham flour". And some recipes say to "serve with graham bread". I didn't know what that was, so I did some research.

Graham flour is just whole wheat flour, but very coarsely ground. It's about as rustic a flour as you can buy. It was developed by Sylvester Graham in the early 1830's (and yes, it is commonly used to make graham crackers--although, the early graham crackers were not at all sweet like they are today).

His story is fascinating--you can find the details here. (He developed a diet that included bland starches, like graham flour, in order to stave off lustful behavior. So, I guess this bread is not what you would call an aphrodisiac! I'm tempted to rename this bread "Abstinence Bread", haha.)

I had a VERY hard time finding graham flour--even to buy it online! There were some sites that listed it for sale, but I wasn't about to pay $25 for a pound of flour. I almost bought the wrong item--I saw several listings for "gram flour", which is NOT the same thing. Gram flour is made with chick peas.

Eventually, I somehow came across a site called Purcell Mountain Farms that was selling graham flour for $4.35 per pound (and free shipping!). A pound of flour isn't much (maybe three cups or so) but I only wanted it in order to try out a recipe for graham bread.

You can certainly substitute whole wheat flour to make this bread, but after tasting it, I just don't think it would be the same. The texture really makes a difference here.

Since I was going to be making the graham bread, I also decided to choose a recipe for a spread that is meant to be served on graham bread and post the two together.

This bread is delicious! I was very surprised at just how good it was, because it's not anything special (other than using the graham flour that was difficult to obtain). When it comes to bread, I definitely prefer the white varieties. But the whole point of this heritage recipe series is to try new things, especially recipes that are off the beaten path.

I also mentioned last week that I don't like raisins, but discovered they were delicious in the Spread Cookies. This recipe for the nut and raisin sandwich spread uses raisins (obviously), so I dove in. And again, I really enjoyed them! I may be a convert to the raisin side now. (The graham bread recipe lists raisins as an optional add-in, but I did not add them to the bread itself.)

As always with the heritage recipes, I made it exactly as-written in the recipe. I will share my notes after the recipe.

This recipe for Graham Bread was submitted to the Rockwood, Michigan Area Historical Society for inclusion in their cookbook by Lenora Spitler. She said it was her grandmother's recipe and over 175 years old. The recipe for the Nut & Raisin Sandwiches came from the St. Charles 1910 Cook Book and was included in the Historical Society cookbook as well. 

Here is a printer-friendly version!

Graham Bread

1 T. rounded lard
2 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
2 c. graham flour
1 c. raisins (optional)

Mix all of the above and place in a greased pan. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Notes:

Simple enough! I wrote about the graham flour in the intro. If you can't find it, you can substitute with whole wheat, but like I said, I do think that the texture of the graham flour is important for this recipe. For the other flour, I just used unbleached white flour. 

The "soda" refers to baking soda. I used shortening for the lard. As for the baking time, I pulled mine out after 45 minutes because it looked done to me. And it was perfect!

Nut & Raisin Sandwiches

1-1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. nuts
1/2 lemon
buttered bread

Pass nuts and raisins through a chopper. Blend smooth with juice of 1/2 lemon. Spread between slices of well-buttered graham or white bread.

Notes:

Again, this is a simple recipe. I chose to use walnuts (we have a billion of them for the squirrels). I put the nuts, raisins, and lemon in a food processor and pureed until it was like a very thick paste. It reminded me a lot of a Larabar--only with raisins instead of dates.

While I was preparing this, the squirrels kept coming up to the back door, hoping for walnuts. I thought the paste would make a nice little treat for the squirrels, so I grabbed a grape-sized amount and rolled it into a ball. Then I rolled the ball in the "flour" at the bottom of the walnut container (the "flour" is just referring to the very fine walnut crumbs that settle on the bottom).

One of the squirrels took off with it before I could take a picture of her. I'm going to make some more with the leftover filling.

Overall, I absolutely loved the bread and was pleasantly surprised by the nut and raisin spread. I would definitely make them again. I think the graham bread would make a really delicious toast to have for breakfast!

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Furniture Makeover Photos

Normally, I just post photos on Friday night--pictures I took throughout the week but didn't really have a reason to post. When I looked through the photos on my phone today, I realized I hadn't taken any photos this week other than the ones relating to the furniture I was working on refinishing.

We moved the furniture from the garage into the house today, so I figured I'd just post some photos of the makeover.

I found these pieces of furniture on Facebook Marketplace--a TV console and a coffee table from Pottery Barn's Rhys collection. The line has been discontinued now, but after some digging online I found that they had retailed for $1200 (the console) and $700 (the coffee table)! The seller was asking $100 for the set.

I have a Pottery Barn table (I'm not sure what it would be called--it's kind of like a console but smaller). I bought it from Facebook Marketplace when we were remodeling and I was super impressed with the quality. So, when I saw these Rhys pieces for $100, I knew I wanted them. They looked pretty scratched up in the photos, but I planned to paint them anyway--so I decided to buy and refinish them.

First, I removed all of the hardware--the drawer pulls, hinges, and knobs--and I removed the glass from the two console doors. I knew I didn't want to put the glass back in because I don't like being able to see the disorganized mess inside (as you can see from this photo in the living room):

I had some small leftover pieces of 1/4" thick poplar plywood, and thankfully, I was able to cut them to fit the frames for the doors. I also knew I didn't want to put the little label holders back on the drawers (I just didn't like them). I didn't replace the drawer pulls (drawer pulls are expensive!) so I painted them with a matte black spray paint. I wasn't crazy about the pulls at first, but after painting them I really like them.

After removing the hardware, I started cleaning and sanding. I used TSP to clean the pieces well and remove the shine. Then I sanded with an electric palm sander (rather than doing it entirely by hand) hoping to keep my carpal tunnel syndrome from flaring up. The palm sanders still require a lot of work, so it wasn't exactly easy! It took me a long time to get the whole thing sanded. I had to remove quite a bit from the top layer of the coffee table:

After sanding, I wiped it down one more time and then applied a primer--I used Kilz for oil-based paints. It took SO LONG to prime everything (here is a post about some problems I ran into). Once everything was primed, I applied a layer of paint--Sherwin-Williams' oil-based paint in the color "Spare White" (which is the color we used on all of the trim in the house).

I let that dry for 24 hours before applying a second coat. I waited another day and then put a third coat on the top and front face of each piece, just to make sure it was coated well. By this time, my carpal tunnel had really flared up, so I let the paint cure for a few days (oil-based paint takes 3-7 days to cure) while I rested my hands.

I put the hardware back on and I finished up the doors (using wood instead of the glass).

Today, Jerry and Eli carried the console and coffee table into the house (they are very heavy!) while I directed pet traffic. (The pets were way too excited to see what the commotion was about and why we were bringing big fun wooden boxes hideouts into the house ;)

I was really unsure about whether the coffee table was going to look right in our living room--I thought it might be too big. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the perfect size for the room and the couch. I LOVE IT. Here is the before and after:

I was absolutely thrilled with the TV console, too! It brightened up that wall so much and I think the look of it fits in much better with the home makeover I did a couple of years ago. Here are photos from before and after:

(Evidently, clearing the clutter from the floor helps, too! Haha.) Jerry still has to put his Xbox in the little space above the drawers, which will hide the cords. 

Jerry and I both love the new look, and the best part is that both pieces of furniture cost less than $160 (the purchase price plus the cost of paint). And DIY projects are so much more fun than just buying a new piece of furniture.

I love it so much that I wish I could "flip" more furniture pieces and maybe sell them. Right now, though, I have to rest my hands and talk to a new doctor about my carpal tunnel syndrome.

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Some Famous April Fools' Day Pranks

Happy April Fools' Day! I looked up one little bit of information about April Fools' Day for the post I was going to write about today (nothing special) and fell down a rabbit hole of famous pranks through the years. I thought it would be fun to share some of those instead. These are some that stood out to me...

This one cracks me up, because it's a burn to the people that love to comment on and share links to articles on social media when they clearly haven't even read the story. In 2014, NPR news posted the link to an article titled, "Why Doesn't America Read Anymore?" Hundreds of people left comments about the decline of reading in America.

To prove the point, if they clicked the link to actually read the article, they would find that it was just a simple paragraph:

We sometimes get the sense that some people are commenting on NPR stories that they haven't actually read. If you are reading this, please like this post and do not comment on it. Then let's see what people have to say about this 'story.'

Unfortunately, it didn't last very long because the people who actually did read the story didn't follow the directions, and instead commented about the prank. It was a very clever idea, in my opinion! (Here is a link to the Facebook post)

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In 1965, BBC television aired an interview with a man who had apparently invented "smellovision"... which, as its name implies, is television that allows smells from the program to be transmitted into the viewer's home. To really sell the story, he explained the science of it--that the machine could break down the scents into their component molecules, allowing them to be transmitted.

He even demonstrated by revealing coffee beans and onions, and asking the viewers if they could, in fact, smell them through their television. People from all over the country called in to say that they smelled the coffee and onions as promised.

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In 1975, This Day Tonight (an Australian news program) played a prank that I find hilarious (and kind of awesome). They announced that the country would soon be converting to "metric time". It would be measured exactly like you would imagine "metric time" to be measured: 

100 seconds to the minute
100 minutes to the hour
20 hours in a day
seconds would become millidays
minutes would become centidays
hours would become decidays

The show received hundreds of calls from viewers who believed the April Fools' Day prank.

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In 1998, USA Today published an ad from Burger King, who revealed a new menu item: the Left-Handed Whopper. The new sandwich was advertised to be the same as the classic, but with all of the ingredients rotated 180 degrees, catering to the 32 million Americans who are left-handed. The Left-Handed Whopper was said to be the ultimate "have it your way" for left-handed customers.

The prank worked, because thousands of people went to Burger King and ordered a Left-Handed Whopper!

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I wish I could write a couple more, but my right hand is totally numb from my carpal tunnel syndrome--so frustrating! It's hard to type when you can't feel your fingers. Anyway, if any of you have played a cool prank (or had one played on you) please share! I love reading about them :)

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Summer School

It has been so hard for me to rest my hands! I've been trying to do as little as possible with my hands because my carpal tunnel syndrome flared up--and now I'm so antsy. At first, I thought, "This will be great! I can sit around for a couple of days without feeling guilty, reading my book, watching TV, etc." But just a few hours in, I was itching to go work on something.

I'd already finished painting the TV console and coffee table, but I still hadn't painted the drawer pulls, so I couldn't put the hardware back on the tables. I bought spray paint for those and every couple of hours yesterday, I went out to the garage to put a light coat on them, then turn them over, repeat. That didn't really bother my hands.

Today, I put the hardware back on the drawers for the coffee table, and I love how it looks! Restoring it took much longer than I expected it to (and it was a LOT more work) but I think it's worth it. I want to give the paint another day or two to cure before moving it into the house. Here is a before and after of the coffee table:

I'll post more pictures once we bring them in the house.

Last year, I was going through some papers and came across financial records from when I went to college. I went to Eastern Michigan University for two years, declaring psychology as my major. I had no idea what I planned to do with a degree in psychology, and after two years, I moved back home and started going to community college. I was accepted into a Dietetics program but I changed my mind about that. I took some health classes, thinking about nursing--but knew I didn't really want to do that, either.

Finally, after three years of college with no idea what I was going to do, I quit. Jerry and I had just gotten married and I was working as an assistant manager at Curves. I got pregnant a couple of months after getting married, and family life took over.

I never regretted not finishing school. And I still don't. There isn't a different career path that I'd wished I'd taken; I am happy with the way things turned out.

Anyway, I found the financial records and it made me curious about my grades and the classes I'd taken, and stuff like that. It was so long ago that I don't even remember anymore! I pulled up my records online and I noticed that after all of my credits from the university transferred to the community college, I was only two credits away from an associates degree.

Even though I have no need for a degree, it seemed kind of silly to be just two credit hours away from one. So, I decided to look into taking a class this year and finish the degree. I even added that to my 40 Goals by 40 Years Old List 2.0. 

Jerry told me recently about a program that was recently passed in Michigan that allows people 25 years and older, who don't have a degree, to go to community college tuition-free. It includes both new students and returning students. The only caveat is that you have to enroll at least half-time (six credit hours) per semester.

I only need two credit hours, but if the state is going to pay for my tuition, I might as well take another class to hit the six credit hours needed. It's actually cheaper for me to take two classes, even after paying for my books.

I registered for two classes: Mental Health and Lifespan Psychology (Psychology of Aging). I'm sure not a single person reading this will be surprised by my choices!

I have to buy the books, but the total for those is only $130. I already have one of the required books for Mental Health--interestingly, it's a memoir of a woman with bipolar disorder. I think I'm going to like the class ;)  While it would be kind of fun to go back into a classroom, both of the classes are done online. At least I don't have to be the random old lady in the room sitting apart from all the spring chickens ;)

I'm hoping that the tuition grant will go through before the tuition is due, otherwise I may have to wait until fall. I qualified for the grant and I started the whole process yesterday; the website said I should be good to go for summer classes, so we'll see. The classes start on May 10.

I'm kind of excited about it--even though I'm only taking these for "fun", I'm super interested in all things psychology; it'll be fun to learn more about it, and read and write about it.

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Transformation Tuesday #20

I have a few fun Transformation Tuesday submissions to share today. I hate to always sound like I am begging you to please send me transformation photos, but... I am begging you to please send me transformation photos ;)  I really want to continue this weekly series! So remember, even if you think the drawer you just organized or your dog's new haircut or the sweater you repurposed isn't interesting enough to share, I promise you it is.

To submit a transformation, just email a before photo and an after photo to me at: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Include a description of the transformation, your name/location and what you like to do for fun. I'd love to see your pics!

Okay, here goes--these are some good ones...

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I do a lot of cooking and baking and had a lot of trouble keeping spices organized.  Every so often I’d organize them but soon enough they would be back in a jumble.

I saw this method of organizing them on Instagram and knew this could work for me since I didn’t want them on a traditional rack on my counter.   The jars are from IKEA and have flat sides enabling them to lie down flat in the drawer.

- Diane

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I wish I could take credit for this, but it was actually my crafty daughter, Sadie, that transformed this side table from a chipped ugly eyesore to the cute “marble”-topped table that brightens the whole room. All it took was a $9 roll of contact paper and patience.

- Rikilynn, a fellow Michigander

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My husband had this enormous project to take care of. He hired a crew of Amish men to help him. They are awesome workers. So talented and ambitious.

- Karen

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Diane, the spice drawer looks so nice--and so much easier to find what you're looking for! I had my spices so organized after I remodeled the kitchen, but they are a mess again. I love the flat jars--I could use those to organize all sorts of things.

Rikilynn, please tell your daughter that she is so talented! The table looks amazing. I can't believe that's contact paper! (I love the cat blanket, too--it looks like little Duck)

Karen, holy smokes! What a huge difference. It looks brand new--and I love the color. That's awesome your husband hired a crew of Amish men to help. They did a fantastic job!

Thank you so much for sharing your transformations :)

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April Book Pick and Carpal Tunnel Flare-Up

First, I completely forgot to pick a winner for the 'West With Giraffes' Kindle book giveaway! I totally spaced out I guess. But I used Random.org to pick a winner today, and that is... Christie H. I just sent you an email to confirm the email address to send the book. So sorry that it took so long!

Speaking of books, it's almost April, which means it's almost time to start my April read-athon book. (You can read about the year-long read-athon I'm doing here--it's a 'Friends' theme.) 

Last month, I had to read a book with an animal in it, and because of that, I discovered what became one of my top three favorite books of all time: West With Giraffes (Amazon affiliate link). The prompt for April is:

Chandler: "Could I BE more excited?"  - Read a highly anticipated book.

When I looked through the prompts for the year, I knew which book I was going to save for April. I bought it in the fall, and I was so excited to read it, but it's a LONG book--900+ pages--and I was waiting for a good time to dive in. As you may know, my most favorite book is 'The Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett. I've read the trilogy twice, which is saying a lot--I'm a slow reader, and those books are about 1,000 pages each.

Well, Follett wrote a prequel to 'The Pillars of the Earth' and it was released last fall. I don't normally buy books (I like to borrow them from the library) but I bought it right away. It's called 'The Evening and the Morning'. 

Because it's such a long book, I actually started reading it yesterday to make sure I finish it before the end of April. I decided to aim for 5% per day (the Kindle Paperwhite shows your progress in the book by percentage, so it's easy to keep track that way). And today, I actually read 15% because I already really like it.

By the way, if you've never read 'The Pillars of the Earth', you may want to check it out. I would NEVER have picked out that book by reading the description--the only reason I read it back in the day was because Oprah raved about it so much. It's a historical fiction book, and history was always been my least favorite subject in school. I usually got C's and D's in history classes!

'The Pillars' takes place in the 1100's. I think the thing I love most about the book is visualizing what life was like for people back in that time period. The book description makes it sound like it's all about religion, politics, and history, but if that was the case, I wouldn't have wasted my time reading it.

It's a very detailed story, taking place over many years, about several lives that intertwine; it's full of romance, drama, action, suspense, comedy... you name it. (It's a bit graphic at times, so if you're concerned about that, you may want to read spoilers about it before reading the book.)

Anyway, I loved 'The Pillars' so much that I read the sequel, and then I read the trilogy last year, and now I've started the prequel. 

Today, I spent a lot of time reading because I vowed that I was going to rest. My carpal tunnel has flared up BIG TIME and it's completely miserable. I feel like I can't catch a break lately! I got a nasty blister and had to quit going for walks to let it heal, so I started riding my bike instead. Then I injured my knee pretty badly, so I had to quit biking. Then I picked up a project to work on while my knee healed--refinishing a TV console and coffee table--and now my carpal tunnel is telling me no.

The carpal tunnel syndrome started a few years ago when I was working on remodeling the house. I spent a ton of time scraping the texture off of the ceiling, mudding the drywall, sanding the heck out of it, priming, and painting. I did this stuff every single day for MONTHS.

Then I started having problems with my hands and wrists. I went to a chiropractor, which didn't help. Physical therapy, which only helped a little. And a neurologist, who diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome. He gave me a prescription for a wrist splint (the pain was mainly in my right hand) and said he could do cortisone injections. I declined because I have had a couple of bad experiences with cortisone (it makes my mood go completely crazy). I would love to get carpal tunnel surgery, but he made it sound like he wouldn't consider that until I try the cortisone first. 

After the last few nights I've had, I'm going to find a different doctor and try again. I really didn't like the neurologist I saw--he made me feel very rushed and it didn't seem like he was listening to me at all.

The pain at night is the worst. I wake up in excruciating pain several times a night. I am not one to exaggerate pain--I know the pain scale well. I've given birth twice, I've shattered my jaw and had two surgeries on it, I've had skin removal surgery... those topped out at a 9 on the 1-10 pain scale. You know what is a 10? This carpal tunnel syndrome!

During the day, it's mostly just annoying rather than painful. But at night? It feels like my arm is on fire while simultaneously being stabbed all over and having my fingernails ripped off. It comes in waves, much like contractions during childbirth. I can feel the intensity rising until it peaks and then it slowly backs down. I end up writhing and pacing and crying and moaning... I'm sure it sounds like I'm giving birth!

When I get up in the morning (I've been getting up before 5:00 the last few days because the pain flares up the most when I'm in bed) my hands are super swollen. Jerry was kind of freaked out when he saw how swollen my hands were today. That's why I said I was going to rest my arms. I'm finished with painting the furniture (which is what caused my carpal tunnel to flare up again), and just have to put it back together and get it in the house. I think next week I'm going to try walking and see how my knee feels. I'd love to start the Couch to 5K again. And I'm going to have to rest my hands for a while.

Estelle's certainly not complaining--she loves sitting on my lap ;)

At least I have a good book to read! If I end up loving it, I'll do a giveaway for a copy of 'The Evening and the Morning' (or if you've not yet read 'The Pillars of the Earth', you could choose that instead). But I'll write about that when I finish the book. Now, I'm going to try to go to bed early and hopefully get some sleep tonight.

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Affirmators! Week 6: Joy

Affirmators! are cards with positive affirmations written on them. My friend John sent me a deck of them and I've been drawing one from the deck each Sunday. I hang it on my bathroom mirror to keep it in the front of my mind and try to work on that topic through the week. That's what this Affirmators! post series is about.

Last week my Affirmators! card was "Playfulness" and I worked on being more playful in general throughout the week. I really like that these affirmation cards actually DO make me more aware of my attitude, and I thought about the Playfulness card frequently.

A couple of funny stories:

Jerry had read my blog post about Playfulness and he really liked that I was going to work on being more playful. The next evening, I was playing Best Fiends on my iPad and he sat down next to me. He jokingly hovered his finger over the power button on my iPad and looked at me with a grin like he was going to turn it off while I was mid-level.

I immediately wanted to say, "No! Don't do it!" but then I knew he was testing me--pushing my buttons to see if I would be light-hearted about it ("playful") or get mad. So, I smiled sweetly and said, "Go ahead".

Jerry got a look of doubt on his face and I could almost SEE the gears working in his head--he wanted to push the power button but wasn't sure what my reaction would be. I said (in a nice, calm voice), "I dare you. Push it! See what happens." (I wouldn't be mad if he did... but I wanted to kind of push him back to see if he would actually do it.)

He hesitated some more, and then sighed and sat back. He said, "I can't do it. I'm scared of you."

Hahaha! I guess I really do need to be more playful ;)

After my sunglasses were stolen from my car a few weeks ago, we ended up buying security cameras. Jerry really wanted them and I finally caved. I always feel uncomfortable at people's houses when they have security cameras, or even when I just walk past someone's house that has them. It feels like people are watching me. So I always resisted buying them for our house.

Jerry gets an alert on his phone when the cameras turn on (motion activated). Last night before bed, I was letting Joey outside at around midnight. I had the idea to do something "playful" and I grabbed a flashlight and stood on the porch. I faced the nearest camera and then held the flashlight under my chin up toward my face. Then I waved my arms around and pretended like I was screaming, and then made a goofy face. I wasn't sure if Jerry would watch it (he was at work) but since it was midnight and there was an alert, I figured he would.

I turned to go inside and when I opened the door, Phoebe ran outside. (Our cats are strictly indoor cats, but Phoebe would sell her soul to be able to go outside freely. We have foxes and coyotes and predatory birds and other things that could hurt her right across the street--so if she sneaks out, we go after her until we can catch her.)

I yelled, "Damnit Phoebe!!" and ran after her. Joey got all excited and started coming with me, which only made Phoebe go farther. I yelled, "Joey, no! Go on!" and then was chasing after Phoebe. I finally got her (not before she ate enough grass to throw up when she came inside) and I texted Jerry to see if he saw the whole charade. It was then that I learned the cameras actually have sound and not just video! 

So, when I was making goofy faces at the camera, I'd only pretended to scream (thinking that the video was silent) but then I was swearing while running around chasing after the pets in the yard. Hahaha, the joke was definitely on me.

As a whole, I think I did good with this affirmation through the week. Jerry said he noticed that I wasn't letting little things get to me as much. At the very least, I made an effort. And I plan to continue with it, being more playful whenever I can.

Now, on to this week's card...

To enjoy something, I simply need to add joy to it. Joy is like butter--I can put it on anything and it'll make it way better. Today, I will add joy to everything, really slather it on. Today, I am the Orville Redenbacher of joy. And life's popcorn is about to get it.

This one is very fun! Except if I had the ability to add joy to everything, I totally would have done it by now. I wish that I could just "think happy thoughts" and be happy all the time. I can't control my emotions, unfortunately.

Jerry and I use the simple phrase, "Throw strikes!" regarding trying to control something you have no control of. We started using this phrase because it drives us both CRAZY when we are at the kids' baseball games and the coach or parents yell to the pitcher, "Throw strikes!" ...because what do they think the pitcher is *trying* to do?!

For example, if Jerry is nervous about something, I might say, "Don't be nervous. Throw strikes!" It's kind of like saying that I know he's nervous and I wish I could help, but there isn't anything I can say that will make him not be nervous.

Adding joy to everything is like throwing strikes. I'm always *trying* to be happy and feel joy. But whether I actually feel that way or not is the umpire's call.

This week, I'm going to lump this card in with last week's card... I'm going to look for ways to be more playful and while I'm at it, I'll try to sprinkle some joy here and there ;)

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HERITAGE RECIPE: Spread Cookies

I feel a little guilty that I've been mostly choosing the recipes from the heritage cookbooks that are for baked goods rather than actual meals. I'll try to branch out next week and do a savory meal. It's funny, because I usually stay far away from baking--I'm terrible at it! Interestingly, a lot of the heritage recipes are for baked goods and written by women; the recipes for meat and main dishes are frequently written by men.

I noticed that raisins are very common ingredient in cookies, cakes, and quick breads. I don't love raisins, but I'll eat them and sometimes they taste good in certain recipes. These "cookies" sounded interesting because you boil raisins in water and then use some of the cooking water for the cookies. (I put "cookies" in quotes because these are actually cookie bars--I think they are named Spread Cookies because you "spread" out the dough instead of dropping them on a cookie sheet.)

A note about oleo...

This word reminds me of my grandma (if she was alive, she'd be 106 now--she was born in 1914). My mom taught me when I was young that "oleo" was margarine. I used to think it was a funny old-fashioned word.

I never use margarine. I don't want to call myself a "snob" about it, but I definitely prefer butter. However, in my grandma's and my mom's generations, "oleo" was very common. When I was debating this recipe, I looked up the history of margarine and it was pretty interesting!

In a (large) nutshell: The words "oleo" and "margarine" actually come from one word: "oleomargarine". It was invented in 1869 as a cheap alternative to butter. Originally, it was made of beef fat and skimmed milk; shortly after, the process of hydrogenation (turning vegetable oils into solid fat) came to be. In the early 1930's, there was a shortage of animal fat due to the Great Depression and margarine (hydrogenated oil) became a popular, cheap alternative to butter. This explains why "oleo" or "margarine" is a common ingredient in recipes from the late 1800's through, well, rather recently.

I only bring this up because my only "rule" about cooking/baking the heritage recipes is that I must follow the recipe exactly as written. So, I bought margarine for the first time in probably a decade or more in order to make this recipe. (You could certainly make this with butter; I only used the margarine to follow the recipe as-written.)

As usual, I will write out the recipe exactly as it is shown in the heritage cookbook, and following that, I'll write my notes to clarify.

This recipe for Spread Cookies was submitted to the Rockwood, Michigan Area Historical Society by Darlene Beaudrie in memory of Irene Smith, a kindergarten teacher in South Rockwood in the 1940's. (I tried to find information about her, but I could not--Smith isn't exactly an uncommon last name!)

In the printer-friendly version below, I've rewritten the recipe just for clarity.

Here is a printer friendly version!

Spread Cookies (see notes after recipe)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. soda
1 c. nutmeats, chopped
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. raisin water
1 c. (boiled slightly) raisins
1-3/4 c. flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Drain water from raisins and save 1 cup. Add soda to water. Add rest of ingredients. Mix. Spread a thin layer on a greased brownie tin. Bake at 350 F. While warm place on icing of 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons oleo, 2 tablespoon shortening mixed well; add 1 teaspoon vanilla and a small amount of milk. Mix well.

My notes:

I think that listing "soda" and "baking soda" was a typo. I used 1 tsp. of baking soda total.

Nutmeats are just nuts (without the shell).

About the raisins/raisin water: I understood it to mean boil the raisins in some water, then set aside 1 cup of boiled raisins. Use 1/2 c. of the water that was used to boil them. I added a scant 1 cup of raisins (knowing they would plump up) to about 1 cup of water on the stove and brought it to a boil. Then I reduced the heat to a simmer for about 3-4 minutes, and separated the raisins and the liquid (keeping only 1/2 cup of the liquid).

I first creamed the shortening, sugar, and eggs, like it says. I prepared the raisins like I described above. I added the baking soda to the raisin water (the water was still very hot--not sure if that mattered!). Then I added the raisin water plus the rest of the ingredients (except for the raisins and nuts) to the bowl with the sugar mixture. I beat it into a thick batter, and then I folded in the raisins and nuts.

The reason these are called "spread cookies" is because they aren't single cookies on a sheet. They are more like cookie bars.

I wasn't sure what size pan to use to bake it. At first, I prepped an 8x8 pan, because that is a typical "brownie-sized" pan. The recipe says to spread it in a thin layer, but after I prepared the batter, there was way too much for a thin layer. So, I used a 9x13 pan and that worked out well.

The recipe doesn't specify how long to bake them, so I started with 10 minutes and then checked them here and there. They ended up baking for 16 minutes, and this is how they looked when I pulled them out:

For the icing: I beat the oleo (margarine), shortening, and vanilla to combine and then I added powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating until smooth each time. I added a little milk when it got too thick--in all, I used about 3 Tbsp. milk. This is the consistency I ended up with:

It says to spread the icing while the cookies/bars are warm (not hot), so I let them sit for about 15 minutes after pulling out of the oven before adding the icing.

These Spread Cookies are SO GOOD. I honestly didn't think I'd like them very much because raisins are a key ingredient, but these remind me very much of carrot cake. The texture is somewhere between a cookie and a cake. The frosting is very sweet, making this really rich (even for me) so just a small piece is satisfying. 

This is a recipe that I'll definitely make again!

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