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....