Kathleen Rowland's Blog, page 34
February 8, 2014
Places– of Charm
Here I am this morning but leaving for a meeting with a group of volunteers. The photo didn’t show up in the post below.
February 7, 2014
Places– of Charm
Does a clean house organize our minds? In many ways it does. We don’t waste time finding things. My husband, Gerry, a CPA with his own practice believes a filing system is the most efficient rather than stacks. For our home office we had California Closets create a piece of furniture in the 4th bedroom. 
You can see it here. I have a desk on one wall. 
and Gerry has his on the other side. 
He hasn’t had time to organize yet. It’s tax season, and he’s at his real office seven days a week.
February 5, 2014
People appreciation
Whether playing soccer, making new friends, or doing homework, our granddaughter Roxanne is enthusiastic about everything in her second grade world. A brownie scout charged with (a lot!) selling 200 boxes of cookies, she rose to the occasion. After school and on weekends, Roxanne drives around her gated community in her pink Barbie Jeep to sell cookies.
January 27, 2014
Places– of Charm
A curving row of hedges gives a front yard, even a small one, more depth. After staking out a design, our gardener dug out grass and put in a border, the flexible type made from recycled tires. The fun began! I dug holes and placed twenty boxwood plants along the border. A filled-in hedge takes time.
January 23, 2014
Places– of Charm
I’m excited about Saturday when our gardener Miguel will bring his team to dig out some grass in our front yard. In the past two days I laid out a curvy design using an edge border material with the goal of curvy instead of rectangular flower beds.
Yesterday I dug out a small section myself to plant three Hardenbergia vines. They grow four feet high but spread ten feet apart, and their purpose is to soften a wall behind a birch tree. The pinkish-purple flowers with a chartreuse spot in center cascade like small Wisteria blossoms in the winter to early spring. I planted them in a mostly sunny location, and Hardenbergia doesn’t require much water. The name Hardenbergia honors Franziska Countess von Hardenberg, a 19th century Austrian patron of botany.
[2nd Image]
January 21, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Yesterday I learned my friend J.G. had a stroke a few weeks ago. Today I’m making a double batch of Minestrone Soup for us and for her and her grandson. Served with a meatball on top and Parmesan cheese, it’s delicious with a crusty baguette and field greens salad. Just saute in olive oil, chopped onion, carrot, celery, zucchini. Add 4 cups chicken broth, 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender and then add noodles of your choice.
January 14, 2014
Places– of charm
Gardening Tuscan-style is a new venture for me. Certain trees and shrubs, such as the Italian cypress are signature trees. Our house is here–> 
and needs landscape work! I’m inspired by photos I’m studying from the real thing below while reading what Tuscan landscape designers say– the look is not complete without the cypress. These grand evergreens also make wonderful privacy barriers while adding magnificence. Palm trees are favorites as well. Other ideas to incorporate are large terra cotta planters, often with the topiary, for a rustic Tuscan flair. Tuscan shrubs make wonderful hedges and look terrific along the walkways in your garden. Today I’m laying out a curvy design for a boxwood hedge around the front perimeter of our yard. Every now and then, I will post my progress here. Fun, fun!
January 8, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Friends, you have the power to make this year your healthiest year yet. One way is to avoid mindless junky snacking. Do you feel like munching around four in the afternoon? For us it’s two more hours until my husband Gerry gets home for dinner, and I plan a late afternoon snack. Today I’ll have low calorie creamed spinach with sprinkles of Parmesan cheese for 200 calories. If you are rushed, pick up a box of Tabatchnick’s low calorie creamed spinach. It’s 50 calories per serving. Have two!
Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallot, or red onion
10 ounces fresh spinach, tough stems removed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Preparation
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallot (or onion); cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbling, about 30 seconds. Add milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir the spinach into the sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.
Nutrition
Per serving: 203 calories; 13 g fat ( 6 g sat , 6 g mono ); 23 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein; 3 g fiber; 370 mg sodium; 870 mg potassium.
January 7, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Crack into the golden cornbread crust to savor my low calorie pot pie made with chicken breast, fresh veggies, and 98% fat free cream of celery soup and chicken broth. It’s so easy to make, and my recipe has a fraction of the calories of the hearty original version. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a Pyrex baking dish or whatever you want to use.
All you do is add 3 cups of chopped baked chicken breast to steamed cut-up veggies such as carrots, celery, green beans, pearl onions, turnips, and then add dashes of thyme and parsley. Place 1 can cream of celery soup into a mixing bowl with 1/2 can fat free milk and chicken broth. Add the chicken and vegetables. Prepare corn bread according to box directions. I used Jiffy which cost 77 cents. Pour the mixture into your baking dish, add dollops of corn bread mix on top, and bake until crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. This recipe serves 6 and is 350 calories per serving. It’s delicious with a field greens salad.
January 6, 2014
Taking care of yourself
Do you want to make a fresh start?
Follow these steps!
Create a simple dream board with the formula, I x V = R which translates to Imagination times vivid equals reality. Expert Glenna Salsbury states the more vivid your future seems, the more real it becomes to your brain. Gather magazine pictures of images of people laughing at work or photos of your dream home.
Pinpoint the area you want to freshen up with Salsbury’s AAAbc approach. The first “A” stands for alter. What small change do you want to make? Your career in your current environment? Find out if there’s a new opening. Your personal life? Siogn up with a dating website or plan a weekly date night with your husband. The second “A” in Salsbury’s approach is something to avoid. If you can’t alter something, avoid it. If you can’t avoid it, move to the next “A” and accept it. Accept where you are at the time being. The “b” is for build as you focus on what is working. You may be in a job rut, but you believe in the product your selling. Your dating life may be stalled, but your friends are great. That list of positives leads to the “c” or change as in change of perspective. Use what’s working to fix what isn’t. Network with friends and go out for a double date with you. Your fresh start is underway.
