How to Get Every Last Bit of Lotion Out of the Bottle!

Are you tired of wasting money because you can't get every last bit of your lotion out of the bottle it was packaged in? Do you find it frustrating to have to bang the bottle against your palm, hoping to use up the rest of the product that the pump dispenser can't pull up?

I've never been able to solve the problem of wasting the dredges of my lotions - until last week!

While getting ready to fly to Houston last week, I needed to refill my travel-sized jar with my

Saturday Suggestion: Bake Some Healthy Banana Cookies

Today, I am thrilled to suggest a healthy recipe to bake. These banana cookies are a perfect treat for a cold winter day - or any day!

My sister commented that I haven't been publishing many food-related posts lately.  She's right. In an effort to reinstate some healthy-eating habits, I've been avoiding trying new recipes and baking yummy desserts. Also, our short Montana winter days have made it a challenge to have natural light to photograph the meals

Saturday Suggestion: "The Boys in the Boat" is a great read.

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Update (1/18/16). In an attempt to format this post a little differently and improve the way that it is loading on this blog, I am adding one more photo. This photo (taken in 2010) has nothing to do with the following book review, but it is of "a boy (my son) ... in a boat!" 

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The Boys in the Boat

I recently picked up a copy of The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, and I could hardly put it down until I read it all.

I have been blogging and writing less than usual in recent weeks, but I have been reading more. I have always been an avid reader and love to lose myself in a fiction book. Unfortunately, other obligations can easily become neglected when my mind is held captive between the pages of a good book. In order to be a productive writer, for a while I was neglecting reading. As I establish a new blogging routine, I am hopeful I can find a good balance between writing and reading and everything else!

Before reading Daniel James Brown's book I had very little interest in or curiosity about rowing. I had never even heard about the dramatic quest for an Olympic gold medal in 1936 by the University of Washinton's 8-man crew team. My attention was riveted, however, from the very first page.

Brown draws the reader in quickly and completely, with his beautifully written prose and ability to make characters come alive on the page. This is a book about rowing - and so much more. I learned some interesting historical and geographical facts of which I was previously unaware, gained new insight into human character,  and most of all gained a better understanding of the elusive element that takes a team (of any kind) from good to great.  Brown explains that the near-magical quality of "the Boat" is not the vessel itself, or the expertise of a single person, or even the contributions of each team member, but something else; something made up of everything that they each contribute.

Recently touring a college in the Pacific Northwest with my son, our campus tour leader was a member of the school's crew team. I wanted to ask her if she had read Brown's book, but I refrained as that question somehow seemed redundant. I had already seen the book for sale on a table of "staff pick's in the University bookstore, and I assume that by now it is mandatory reading assigned by every crew coach across the nation.

This book has something for everyone. It reads like a novel; filled with adventure, competition, and even a little romance while being both informative and inspirational. I'm very glad I took the time to read it.

As I looked at this display, I thought about the amount of trust and teamwork it would take to build and row a boat like this!

Have you read The Boys in the Boat yet? 

Did you enjoy it as much as I did?

In the spirit of full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of them, the price you pay will not be affected but I may receive some small compensation. All opinions expressed, however, are entirely honest and my own.

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!

Saturday Suggestion: Perfection Promotes Procrastination.

Today's Saturday Suggestion is to strive for good enough, as I believe it is a desire for perfection that leads to procrastination.

This poster hangs in my laundry room where I see it daily, and this advice given by Thomas Jefferson is still very applicable today.
His first rule cautions us to avoid procrastination.

As regular readers of this blog know, I have been posting less than usual throughout the past month. Reasons were varied: a little bit of blogger burnout, some social media fatigue, and some self-doubt about whether I really have anything worthwhile to say. My decision to pull back, however, mostly stemmed from a

Saturday Suggestion: Be Present.

Many of us keep our phones and cameras at the ready all through the day. When I saw the cute Santa hats on the geese in the Bozeman airport last night, of course, I took a photo.

My daughter was supposed to arrive at the Helena airport last night at midnight on a connecting flight out of Seattle. She had already spent several hours at the airport when she found out her flight to Montana was

Saturday Suggestion: SnowMan - First the Song and Now A Novel.

How many times have you sung the song "Frosty the Snowman" or made a snow person?

Have you ever thought about how snowmen and the song originated? I really hadn't - but my friend Diane Stringam Tolley has. A lot.

Diane has written several books, and I finally had time to read one of them during my Thanksgiving travels. I have always loved snowmen, so naturally I chose SnowMan as the first of her books to read. It is a fairly short story - only 134 pages, but I am still thinking about it a week after I finished it. It made me both smile and cry, and I will never build another snowman without remembering Diane's inspiring story. Diane's engaging writing style and her account of the life of John Benjamin Frosst will transport you to a snowy winter decades ago, and leave you with a warm feeling. I highly recommend you treat yourself and read this book.

SnowMan is available in both paperback and Kindle format. You can learn more about it or even purchase it, just by clicking here. (As always, if you do make a purchase after visiting Amazon from one of my links, I will receive a small commission, but the price you pay will not be affected.)

Diane also writes the blog Across the Border where she tells fascinating stories of growing up on a ranch in Southern Alberta. I am keeping this post short today, so you have time to read some of her words instead of mine!

What sort of things have you used to build a snowman?

Have you ever given one an old silk hat, a corncob pipe, a button nose, and two eyes made out of coal?

Saturday Suggestion: Creamy Tomato and Bunny Pasta Soup

This post is about a product I received complimentary for testing purposes, but my review is an honest appraisal of my opinion of this product.

I hope all of my American readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving! You might be starting to get tired of turkey leftovers, so today I'm suggesting a product I recently tried and would definitely buy again.

Quite a while ago, I received a "Comfort Voxbox" from Influenster, with a variety of products to review.  At least, I should have received it quite a while ago.  Actually, I was never notified that it was available for pickup, so it was undelivered for considerably longer than it should have been. In any event, I finally received it!

The timing turned out to be quite perfect! My son had his wisdom teeth extracted just over a week ago.  All four were impacted and it was a complicated case. He has done extremely well post-surgically, but the first few days it was challenging to think of foods that he could eat. Ice cream, pudding, and macaroni-and-cheese were all good choices and things I had on hand. When he tired of these, however, I offered him one of the things I received in the VoxBox: Annie's Creamy Tomato and Bunny Pasta Soup.

I was a little worried that my 18-year old son might balk a little at the bunny-shaped pasta noodles, but quite the opposite! He said the soup was really very good, and the noodles were soft enough to offer no discomfort for his sore mouth. He commented that since all you have to do to prepare it is heat the contents of the cardboard container, it would be a good meal to take backpacking.

I have never been very fond of tomato soup, but I felt like I should have a taste of this complimentary product, and I was very pleasantly surprised! Its creamy texture had just the amount of tomato flavor, and I thought it was very good. In addition to being delicious, I was impressed to learn from the package that this soup:

•  is certified as organic
•  contains no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
•  contains no high fructose corn syrup.
• contains 1/2 cup of vegetables per serving.

I can recommend this soup as a good thing to eat after dental work, to take on a camping trip, or just for an everyday lunch! In fact, it would be perfect served with grilled cheese sandwiches and some crackers.

Have you ever tried any of Annie's Homegrown Products?

In the spirit of full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of them, the price you pay will not be affected but I may receive some small compensation. All opinions expressed, however, are entirely honest and my own.

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!

Saturday Suggestion: Share Your Favorite Recipes

"Sorry, it's a secret family recipe."  "Well, I'd share it with you, but I've been sworn to secrecy." Have you ever received this sort of response when you've requested a recipe from someone?

 

Family recipes

Flawed Logic.

When I was in my teens and early 20's, I was reluctant to share my favorite recipes with friends and family. If they loved something I cooked or baked, then I wanted to be the person who could make them happy by creating it for them again. I reasoned that once they had the recipe, then they would be able to prepare it for themselves or someone else, and I would no longer have the power to bring them that joy. 

Fortunately, it didn't take me long to understand that this logic was silly. If I really wanted them to be happy, then it wouldn't matter who made the recipe, as long as they got to eat or serve that particular dish or dessert!

A Reason to Share.

Now, whenever I've made a recipe that turns out well, I always welcome a time or place to share it. While I am partially motivated by wanting to spread the enjoyment of a good thing, I must admit I also have a selfish reason. I have realized that recipes can quite easily become lost or even destroyed, as in the case of (heaven forbid) a fire or a flood. I find it comforting to know that other people have copies of my recipes, and that I could obtain a duplicate from someone if I was ever missing mine.  

Every time I share a recipe on this blog it is for my readers benefit, but I'm also happy knowing that it has just become a little safer for my family and friends and future generations to enjoy.

Part of a Legacy.

Many cooks are known within their family for the special dishes that they make. Those recipes may even become named after them. Aunt Blanche's Dump Salad, Aunt Ginny's Sweet Potato Casserole, Grandma's Chocolate Chip Brownies, and Aunt Audrey's Christmas Trifle are just a few of the headings on recipe cards to which I frequently refer. 

Sometimes we remember and long for a particular item, but no one has the recipe. The baked chicken my grandmother often served when we would have a Sunday dinner with her is one such recipe. I would truly love to go back in time and ask her to write down the method with which she used to make it. 

Memories of a person or event are often passed from generation-to-generation by the sharing of a recipe. I think that is a very lovely gift indeed, and I hope my own legacy is richly endowed with delicious recipes.

My Saturday Suggestion for today is to Share Your Recipes! 

Do you agree that this is a good idea?

Saturday Suggestion: Spend Time to Save Time

Some of you may remember this photo from my blog post on May 19, 2014, An Organized Photo Collection: I WISH! 

When I wrote that post, I committed to getting my photo collection more organized before my son graduates from high school this year. Sadly, in the months that have transpired since the post was published, I have made no progress with this.

This week I spent a considerable amount of time looking for a photo I had hoped to use on this blog. I knew

Saturday Suggestion: On the next warm day, put holiday lights up!

Thinking about what to write today, I came up with a possible idea for a new blog series.

This series may not happen every week, but at least from time-to-time, I plan to offer a "Saturday Suggestion" for a helpful way to "make the most - - of a moment." Today's suggestion comes from my own concern that I may have missed an opportunity to do just that ...

Don't wait till it's miserably cold outside to string your holiday lights

I'm looking out at my snow-covered trees and property, and hoping the white stuff will melt.  When and if it does, I plan to scurry out there, and string my holiday lights, before it snows again.

I am still seeing a lot of snow outside my kitchen window!

I won't turn my holiday lights on until after Thanksgiving, but they are much easier to put up when tree branches are bare of snow; temperatures are above freezing; and the wind is not howling! I have ignored the voice in my head telling me to take advantage of perfect weather to work outside too many times. We