My computer is still down, but I am using another computer to give you my newest recipe. This soup is inexpensive and delicate. It can be served as a soup course or as a meal in itself.
Savory Celery Soup
2 Cups Diced Celery
1 Cup Diced Chicken
4 Cups Chicken Broth, Stock, or Boullion
1 Cup Diced Onion
1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Cups Skim Milk
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter
In large pot, melt butter and saute onions and chicken together until onions become clear and chicken becomes opaque white. Add celery, broth, and sea salt. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and boil covered for 20 minutes. Add cornstarch and nutmeg to milk, and stir to blend well (keep this mixture well blended to prevent lumps in the soup). Stir in milk mixture and continue heat over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve soup hot.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Do You Ever Feel Like This?
I can't really begin to describe it, but I'd figure that I'd try. Because, after all, blogs are about connecting. You get to know me, and you even relate to me at times. And that's the purpose.
The fact of the matter is that it has been building for some time. I have just been feeling overwhelmed. By life, I mean. I'm not depressed, I'm actually quite happy, but it just seems like I can't seem to get caught up with things. I feel spread thin, and even when I trim down my daily and weekly schedule, I still can't seem to get caught up.
I write full time. I am what used to be called a "housewife", but became called a "stay-at-home-mom". Except for the part where I don't have any kids, so I prefer to call myself a housewife. That's right, I'm setting Women's Lib back a few decades, but I frankly don't see what is so derogatory about the term.
So, I'm a housewife. It means that I set my own schedule. I write when the muse moves me. I clean and cook when I get around to it. I run my errands. I hang out with my friends and family. I volunteer. I help out my friends who work and have kids (sometimes they could use to have a few errands run for them). I crochet. I work out on the farm when the weather allows.
But, recently, I have started really feeling overwhelmed. I know some things to which I can attribute this, but I can't seem to relieve the feeling.
First, I have four dogs. They are usually exceptionally healthy. Except for their annual check-ups and vaccines, they rarely ever need veterinary care. But two of the last four weeks have involved illness or injury appointments for my dogs. A few weeks ago, Ginger (the one with the massive deluxe pet beds) fell down the steps. All fourteen steps. She hurt her right hind leg. A vet appointment was warranted.
It turned out to only be a sprain (thank goodness). But, it involved me carrying my fifty-pound dog up and down the steps for a week to prevent her from damaging it further. Now, I routinely carry fifty pounds out on the farm. Sacks and bags of feed, seed, and various and sundry.
Carrying a dog is a bit different. They aren't exactly DESIGNED to be carried. They won't help you out by hanging on, as would a child. They are just sort of THERE. Fifty pounds of unequally distributed weight. Oh, and whoever invented the term "dead weight" should have tried that weight in a dog. Quite frankly, it's easier to carry fifty pounds of dead weight than fifty pounds of wriggling weight.
Now, Ginger is feeling quite a bit better. She doesn't even have a limp any more. But another of our dogs, Sweetie, has developed a bizarre cough. Now, I've been owned by dogs my entire life. I usually have more than one at a time. I'd say that in my life, I have been owned (as well as run, controlled, and manipulated) by about thirty pups. Most are rescues. All are very dear to me.
After upwards of thirty dogs in my life, I am hearing THIS cough. I've NEVER heard anything like it before. It's a deep, barking cough. And, no, that's no pun. It's the only way that I can describe it. Because, as I said, I've never heard anything like it before. She goes to the vet tonight.
I worry about my dogs like most would worry about their children. This may be because I can't have children of my own. Whatever the reason, it doesn't change the fact that I am actually losing sleep over this cough.
And, of course, late last year, my annual physical showed some things that are out of whack. So, we've been working diligently with specialists to try to find out what is causing the problem. I worry less about that, however. You see, we have ruled out most of the really bad stuff. I still have another biopsy to go through (next month if you are wondering) but most of the biopsies and other tests have come back healthy and clear. So, one last biopsy before cancer is completely ruled out.
There are some other tests as well, to rule out an auto-immune disorder. And My next one of those is in April as well. So, we're heading in the right direction. Every test gets me closer to a clean bill of health.
The fact of the matter is that my infertility (technically, it's sub-fertility - I can get pregnant, I just have miscarriages) is the most likely culprit for my feeling of being overwhelmed. It's not that it's a new thing. I have been dealing with it for over a decade now. It's that we have been planning for years to adopt, and we are just starting the process.
So, with everything else that I do (you'd be amazed how quickly your time fills up when you are home full time), I am trying to begin the "adventure" that is adoption. And everything else just becomes something that comes between me and that goal.
I never realized how much there was to adopting until I started to really look into it. I realize that it will be worth it in the end, but goodness me, it's quite daunting.
Do you have an adoption question or story that you would like to share? Please email the author at unkemptruminations@comcast.net
The fact of the matter is that it has been building for some time. I have just been feeling overwhelmed. By life, I mean. I'm not depressed, I'm actually quite happy, but it just seems like I can't seem to get caught up with things. I feel spread thin, and even when I trim down my daily and weekly schedule, I still can't seem to get caught up.
I write full time. I am what used to be called a "housewife", but became called a "stay-at-home-mom". Except for the part where I don't have any kids, so I prefer to call myself a housewife. That's right, I'm setting Women's Lib back a few decades, but I frankly don't see what is so derogatory about the term.
So, I'm a housewife. It means that I set my own schedule. I write when the muse moves me. I clean and cook when I get around to it. I run my errands. I hang out with my friends and family. I volunteer. I help out my friends who work and have kids (sometimes they could use to have a few errands run for them). I crochet. I work out on the farm when the weather allows.
But, recently, I have started really feeling overwhelmed. I know some things to which I can attribute this, but I can't seem to relieve the feeling.
First, I have four dogs. They are usually exceptionally healthy. Except for their annual check-ups and vaccines, they rarely ever need veterinary care. But two of the last four weeks have involved illness or injury appointments for my dogs. A few weeks ago, Ginger (the one with the massive deluxe pet beds) fell down the steps. All fourteen steps. She hurt her right hind leg. A vet appointment was warranted.
It turned out to only be a sprain (thank goodness). But, it involved me carrying my fifty-pound dog up and down the steps for a week to prevent her from damaging it further. Now, I routinely carry fifty pounds out on the farm. Sacks and bags of feed, seed, and various and sundry.
Carrying a dog is a bit different. They aren't exactly DESIGNED to be carried. They won't help you out by hanging on, as would a child. They are just sort of THERE. Fifty pounds of unequally distributed weight. Oh, and whoever invented the term "dead weight" should have tried that weight in a dog. Quite frankly, it's easier to carry fifty pounds of dead weight than fifty pounds of wriggling weight.
Now, Ginger is feeling quite a bit better. She doesn't even have a limp any more. But another of our dogs, Sweetie, has developed a bizarre cough. Now, I've been owned by dogs my entire life. I usually have more than one at a time. I'd say that in my life, I have been owned (as well as run, controlled, and manipulated) by about thirty pups. Most are rescues. All are very dear to me.
After upwards of thirty dogs in my life, I am hearing THIS cough. I've NEVER heard anything like it before. It's a deep, barking cough. And, no, that's no pun. It's the only way that I can describe it. Because, as I said, I've never heard anything like it before. She goes to the vet tonight.
I worry about my dogs like most would worry about their children. This may be because I can't have children of my own. Whatever the reason, it doesn't change the fact that I am actually losing sleep over this cough.
And, of course, late last year, my annual physical showed some things that are out of whack. So, we've been working diligently with specialists to try to find out what is causing the problem. I worry less about that, however. You see, we have ruled out most of the really bad stuff. I still have another biopsy to go through (next month if you are wondering) but most of the biopsies and other tests have come back healthy and clear. So, one last biopsy before cancer is completely ruled out.
There are some other tests as well, to rule out an auto-immune disorder. And My next one of those is in April as well. So, we're heading in the right direction. Every test gets me closer to a clean bill of health.
The fact of the matter is that my infertility (technically, it's sub-fertility - I can get pregnant, I just have miscarriages) is the most likely culprit for my feeling of being overwhelmed. It's not that it's a new thing. I have been dealing with it for over a decade now. It's that we have been planning for years to adopt, and we are just starting the process.
So, with everything else that I do (you'd be amazed how quickly your time fills up when you are home full time), I am trying to begin the "adventure" that is adoption. And everything else just becomes something that comes between me and that goal.
I never realized how much there was to adopting until I started to really look into it. I realize that it will be worth it in the end, but goodness me, it's quite daunting.
Do you have an adoption question or story that you would like to share? Please email the author at unkemptruminations@comcast.net
Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to? The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links: with WiFi only or with WiFi and 3G.
Christy Parker is the author of two blogs: Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind and Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day.
Mrs. Parker is also the author of an eBook of patterns entitled Seven Special Scarves, as well as the eBook Learn to Crochet in Minutes a Day: The First Twelve Lessons
For comments, questions, notes, or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Review of "An East End Murder"
I recently received An East End Murder (which appears to no longer be available in the Kindle Store) by Charles Finch as a Kindle Freebie. It is a piece of short detective fiction (the detective’s not short, the fiction is) that contains an excerpt from another of the author’s books A Stranger in Mayfair.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this story. I was a bit surprised by that. I am not usually a short story kind of girl. I prefer longer fiction, as I feel that it allows more time to flesh out the characters. I like to really get to know the characters in anything that I read. The fact of the matter is, I like when the characters become my friends.
This short story, therefore, makes for an exception with me. I really enjoyed it. It was clever and well-written. It reminded me of the detective fiction of old, where some mysteries were positive tomes, and others of the same series were solved in just a few pages.
I would encourage you to give this book a try, if you like traditional mysteries. This one is set in turn of the century London, with a male British detective. It’s a good read, as well as a part of a larger series.
One warning, however, this file may give some the impression that this is a novella. It is not. More than half the locations of the document are dedicated to the excerpt of A Stranger in Mayfair.
The story itself is less than half the document.
The story itself is less than half the document.Don’t let that stop you. The story is still well worth a read.
Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to? The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links: with WiFi only or with WiFi and 3G.
Christy Parker is the author of two blogs: Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind and Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day.
Mrs. Parker is also the author of an eBook of patterns entitled Seven Special Scarves, as well as the eBook Learn to Crochet in Minutes a Day: The First Twelve Lessons
For comments, questions, notes, or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Review of "Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery"
I admit it; I am a sucker for WWII fiction. I am also a sucker for mysteries (the cozier the better). So, reading Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery
was an absolute joy for me.
was an absolute joy for me.I received the book when it was a Kindle Freebie (have you started to see how cheap I am? I know that it’s obvious, and I am unashamed). It is currently available for $9.99. I would still purchase it at this price (and I am cheap, remember?).
The book is probably not technically a cozy. Billy Boyle, the main character (hence the title), is a police officer from the Boston PD. But I consider this book a cozy. I can qualify this by saying that he is working to solve mysteries in the military. Overseas during the war. And he’s not an MP. Technically, he’s not really with military intelligence, either, at least not in the capacity of a detective.
The book is well done. The writing style is pleasant, and the characters are very real (warts and all). The author (James R. Benn) obviously did a great deal of historical research for the book, and the scenarios ring true. As does the colloquial-speak.
The book has many twists and turns, as well as likeable characters. There is danger (both related to the War itself and the crimes in question), there is suspense, there is a bit of romance, there is tragedy, there is resolution.
All in all, I have no complaints about this well-written and well-edited book. There are currently five books in the series, and I went ahead and sprang for the second and third one. I feel that this series is well worth my time and money (the latter of which is really saying something).
The second book, The First Wave
is currently available for $3.44; the third book, Blood Alone
is available for $9.29. Book four, Evil for Evil
is priced at $10.08. Rag and Bone,
the fifth book in the series will run you $13.75 currently. The sixth book in the series is entitled A Mortal Terror
and is due out in September of this year.
is currently available for $3.44; the third book, Blood Alone is available for $9.29. Book four, Evil for Evil is priced at $10.08. Rag and Bone, the fifth book in the series will run you $13.75 currently. The sixth book in the series is entitled A Mortal Terror and is due out in September of this year.I have not yet sprung for the latter two books. They are a little high in price for me (I mean, really, I’m cheap), but I have no problem purchasing an eBook at that price. I just want to make sure that I am still enjoying the series before I make a further investment in the series. My reading time is somewhat limited right now, so I may not get time to check First Wave and Blood Alone until the summer.
So, my purchase of the last two books is on hold until I have completed books two and three. But I can wholeheartedly recommend the first book. I'll let you know where I stand on the second and third book when I get time to read them. I suspect that if you enjoy the first one, you'll probably beat me to the second and third. ;)
Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to? The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links: with WiFi only or with WiFi and 3G.
Christy Parker is the author of two blogs: Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind and Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day.
Mrs. Parker is also the author of an eBook of patterns entitled Seven Special Scarves, as well as the eBook Learn to Crochet in Minutes a Day: The First Twelve Lessons
For comments, questions, notes, or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.
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