Friday, November 16, 2012

Five Things On Friday

First, yesterday I spent quite a bit of the day creating a new tradition for our Family for Thanksgiving, The Gratitude Tree and then writing a blog post about it for my collaborative blog, Focusing On Life.  It should not have taken me as long as it did, but for some reason Google Chrome would not let me login to the blogsite.  I tried everything, logging out, logging in, turning off the computer, refresh, refresh.  But something just wasn't working so I decided to try another browser.  Foxfire didn't work, but for some reason Explorer did.  Hallelujah for Explorer, a browser I gave up on many moons ago since I have opted for Google Chrome.  But this time Google was letting me down and Explorer came to my rescue. But anyhoo, please visit my collaborative blog Focusing On Life and read about this new tradition.


Wednesday I visited my sweetie.  He is well and was in a talkative mood.  Not sure what he was saying but it was good to see him animated and smiling.  After visiting I drove around the countryside for a while, soaking up the last bits of sun, oh it sets so early with the time change and with the sun so low in the sky our days seem so short.  I spotted this field of rolled hay...one day I am going to find a field like this with the sun setting in the background, but today I had to settle for an old barn in the background.  Used one of Kim Klassen's new textures (Kristin) on the background.


Last Friday evening I went to a dinner at a friend's home.  Mutual friends were in town so it was a good excuse for us to get together and visit.  The hostess made two kinds of home-made soups, both delicious and I volunteered to bring the salad.  I am a big Pinterest Follower and have pinned a bajillion recipes, so thought I would scour my boards for a salad recipe.  I found, not a salad recipe, but a salad dressing recipe from the Olive Garden.  I am a big fan of the Olive Garden salad so thought this would be a good choice.  Collected the ingredients, put it all together, served it and sat back and waited for the applause.  Well, no applause, but it was really good.  And fyi, I added more olives than the traditional 2 that come with the salad.  In fact I added a whole can.

Ingredients:
1 packet Good Seasonings Italian Dressing
(Ingredients needed to make dressing; oil, water, vinegar)

½ tsp. dried Italian Seasoning
½ tsp. table salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. garlic powder
½ tbsp. mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip, please)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbs. white vinegar
1 ½ tbsp. water



Directions for making this delicious salad dressing.

Prepare the Good Seasonings Salad Dressing as directed on the package.
Pour prepared dressing into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
Whisk until completely blended.
Keep in a covered jar for up to 4 weeks in refrig.  Shake well before serving.
Sit back for the applause.

Next on my 5 things on Friday is....just finished reading a really interesting book, that I would definitely recommend....

                                            

Briefly this has been billed as a literary thriller about a retired Orthopedic surgeon that has been accused of murdering her best friend.  Jennifer White is slowing descending into Alzheimer's and cannot remember her best friend, Amanda's death, let alone murder.  But since Amanda's 4 fingers were amputated during the murder, the prime suspect is Dr. Jennifer White who specialized in hand and finger surgery.

This book fascinated me.  It was all told from Jennifer's perspective, her lucid moments as well as moments of not recognizing or remembering anyone around her, including her children.  As I read this, I thought so much of what my sweetie must be thinking and maybe remembering.  Interesting read, recommended.

And finally, the last of the 5 on Friday....I little recommendation for when the cold winter months approach and our lips get dry and flaky.  I tend to get dry lips in the winter time, but last winter I discovered a lip balm that I would definitely recommend.  You can find it at your local drugstore and it is relatively inexpensive, but it does wonders.  It is called C Me Smile Lip Butter, completely natural and organic made by Say Yes to Carrots.  No, it does not have a carrot taste, rather tasteless, but it sure does the trick.  Try it, you will like it.


So, that's it...I have given you a link to a new tradition, a pic of a field full of wheat bales, a delicious salad dressing to enjoy, a book to read, and a lip balm to try.

Sharing with Nancy's Rural Thursday and Kim & Xanthe's 5 on Friday.....




"That's our function in life - to make a declarative statement."  ~  Corinne Jacker

Until next time....





21 comments:

  1. Thanks for the book recommendation and the salad dressing - my girls love the Olive Garden salad, so this will be a hit :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic picture of the hay bales! I can really use that lip balm - weather has been doing a job on my lips. Not very kissable!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the photo of the field. Beautiful.

    I'm going to look for that lip balm. Thanks for the tip.

    Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gee, that book sounds interesting! I'll have to keep an eye out for it...I'm always looking for a good read. I'm going to copy off that dressing recipe. For some reason, the only dressings I ever think taste good are the ones I have when I go out to eat...the bottled kinds never seem to taste right. By the way, I would've added the whole container of olives too. When ever I go to Olive Garden I'm always digging around in the bowl searching for me one olive :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love your field shot such a great texture and the book I will have to see if it's available in the UK. Have a great weekend...

    ReplyDelete
  6. carrots - interesting! :)

    love the barn and silo photo.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely to see you here, haven't been to FOL yet, on my way there now. Just popped over from ROY after posting my 5 on Fri. Your barn image is spectacular. Kim couldn't have done it better. AND ... I love the Gratitude Tree idea. I may just have to "borrow"
    it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely post and will definitely look in to that book. It looks very interesting, in fact am downloading now on my nook. Am an avid reader, and always on the lookout for a good book. Will also check out your link for the new tradition. Best to you and have a lovely day. Am looking forward to visiting my hometown of Chicago in a couple of weeks. looking forward to it and always love Chicago at the holidays

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love your list! Beautiful pictures, books to read and more! what else could one ask for?!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Deanna! hi! wow! WOW! great 'snippets' of information that I will take and do something with. I love all of them but esp. the carrot lips and the gratitude tree. I am always looking for new traditions to have and that will stick.

    ReplyDelete
  11. WoW! What a post & my oh my, you must link up to Barn Charm Mon w/ this beauty! =)

    I've started a new meme, so don't forget to swing by Wednesdays around 6pm CST to link up for the new Watery Wednesday...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Boy, you have been so generous in your post, sharing all kinds of wonderful things! I LOVE black olives, so I think more is better. Whenever we go to Olive Garden I always ask them to bring extra and they always do. Beautiful barn scene and texture. Hope you have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The book sounds really interesting. I'll have to keep it in mind for after the holidays. Won't have time to read before that.
    Love the photo of the barn and the round bales.
    Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  14. i love the way you share... so much..... and that dressing recipe... THANK YOU.... yum!..
    and your field photo.... beautiful...

    so thoughtful... ALWAYS...

    big love....xo, Kim

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for all that, Deanna! I am going to think about reading that book - it does sound interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love that barn... oh my!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh Miss Deanna, I'm just sitting down at my computer to catch up...went to the sunrise this morning, then I walked, drained my battery and charged my entire card, haha, and then got home in time to go to a movie!! As always, loving your barn shot and I love her new texture (used it over 3 of Bonnie's painterly textures) yum, thanks for the recipe as I too love that salad AND lots of olives, and my next stop is your FOL post!! Hope you have a terrific weekend!! XO

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have to start with that yummy looking salad
    Boy does that look good. I just love pintetest.

    And that Barn photo is gorgeous. Your editing looks amazing.

    I do hope you have a awesome weekend my friend.

    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  19. Deanna the landscape is gorgeous, I haven't had a lot of time on the computer as of late but wanted to wish you the most wonderful Thanksgiving. :) to you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a wonderful potpourri of inspiration.. Beautiful pictures and inspirational writing!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I would so applaud your salad - seriously love the Olive Garden salad. Very nice Thanksgiving tradition and the bales of hay shot is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for leaving a comment, I read and cherish them all. I will do my best to return the favor.