December 24 Try

December 24:

Try

What is one thing (activity, food, career, event, travel, etc.) that you'd like to try in 2012? Why haven't you tried it yet? What makes 2012 the year to try it?


I would love to drive a race car, in a race. But I don't think this is the year for that. I would love to drive a speed boat, maybe 2014. This year, I think I would like to start studying to be come an Aesthetician.


I think that it would be fun to know what they know and unlock some of the secrets that help our skin stay healthy and young looking. I suppose it would be self serving and feeding into my vanity, but it might be profitable as well. 


Don't hold me to it!  

December 23 Today Is All You Have

Describe your perfect day, one that you've had this year or one that you'd like to have next year. What makes it perfect for you?


Getting up early say 6am, working out, while watching Designing women. After my work out trucking off to Massage envy for a Shiatsu massage for a lovely hour. While driving up I would talk (hands free) with my mom and see how she is. After I am relaxed I would head back home for a shower and to get dressed. I would not be responsible for anyone else, everyone in my life would take care of themselves and think for themselves and I would be left to only be loving and creative.


Breakfast would be eating a ham, cheese, broccoli quiche with a good cup of hot coffee, while sitting at my table in the sun, reading the Bible. The grand babies would come over and play for a few hours then I would retreat to my office.


I would sit down to a well organized room, with Lori and Tracey, all my scrap booking stuff arranged in color and chronological order. I would have all the supplies and colored paper and stickers, and my computer and printer talking to each other. I would complete my remaining books. I know reality would be that it is going to take a month of perfect days to finish this task, but it would be the perfect day to do that.


In the evening, I would dine on prime rib, with baked potatoes and an ice cold salad with ranch dressing. Brian, Lori, Bruce, Tracey, Steve and  I would go to a good movie. After the movie we would go and get a yummy chocolate dessert. We would laugh and carry on.


A variation on that day might be taking the grand babies to the zoo all day and eating at Fudrucker's and coming home and playing in the back yard, and going for a walk. But just to have those babies in my life makes everyday a perfect day!

December 22 Identify the Problem

December 22, 2011 Prompt:

Identify the Problem

Identify the problem. That is, when you’re annoyed, angered, or frustrated, ask yourself, “What exactly is the problem here?”

Today, take a few minutes to ponder that one little, nagging issue that, if solved or eliminated, would make your life better. 


I solved my issue this year. I have always operated with rather high expectation, not just for myself, but for others. I know I am suppose to be ashamed of that statement, but to be honest I am not. I think having expectations, keeps life interesting, changing and it keeps me striving for success. Having expectations towards others, was usually just what they we capable of or promised to do already. 


Having someone in my life who could not meet even basic expectations, grew to be a huge stress and it created conflict. But June 2, 2011 I gave up. There is a country song that the young lady singing about her cheating, lying boyfriend who wanted her back, she sings right out loud, "my give a damn is busted". So I had that reaction on June 2nd. I just decided I could not continue to have any expectations. I had a friend who kept telling me lower your expectations. So my give a damn busted.


So with giving up, it freed me to be myself again. I no longer had any expectations. If I thought something needed to be done, I gave an instruction and waited for execution. I no longer felt frustrated when a basic behavior was expected and in no way executed. 


There was finally relief for me and peace again in my heart and life. Lowering my exceptions has made all the difference in the world. 

December 21

December 21, 2011 Prompt:

Embrace - What guilty pleasure have you embraced this year?

I start each one of these posts perplexed as to what I should write.  I suppose I should start off naming my pleasures and then I should see if I feel any guilt with them.

I love to get my nails done, I love to sit and visit with Tammy, and chat with the other patron. I love  to see my nails transform into lovely little tips on the end of my fingers. This is a costly luxury but one that I have enjoyed for 9 and a half years. Ok after reviewing my post, I do feel guilty about this, but it has become a necessity!

Being a voyeur is another thing that I have began to enjoy. I think that Facebook is one of the best places to watch other people. Most of the time I do feel like I am just staring in through a frosted window. But I love to see what other people do, think and who they are friends with. I think its a great way to stay connected. A simple comment can lead to another and another and we are connected once again.

I simply have had the pleasure this year of not worrying every time I put something in my mouth. I use to calculate and fret and tit for tat everything I ate. I use to be obsessed with exercising and now, I eat and don't worry, I exercise and enjoy it. Probably not good for my waist line but there is a lot more peace in my heart about food and indulgences! I might have to go back to my ridged thinking again but I had a year of indulgence!

 

December 20 Elevator Speech

December 20, 2011 Prompt:

Elevator Speech

If you had 30-90 seconds to describe yourself. 


Hi I am Beth Keyser. I am a Realtor for a Prudential NW Properties a locally owned Real Estate Company. I specialize in residential re-sale and investment property. I have a very successful business that is based on referrals from satisfied clients. Over caring for my clients is what has made me so successful. They enjoy the specialized attention, and detail I spend with them and for them on their transactions. I find great joy in educating and helping the wonderful people I work with.


I enjoy exploring Portland and love to do short walking tours of the different neighborhoods to know it better. I enjoy getting coffee and enjoying the urban experience of Portland. 


My poodles are another enjoyable part of my life, training them and grooming them are two of my favorite things. I think they are one of the smartest breeds around.


I jump into the political arena sometimes, at the local level such as on the Citizen Rate Review Committee for our local water. It has been a good experience to understand the way local government works. I usually give the conservative voice when I share.


I love to help children at all levels, I adopted my son from Russia and I work with children at my churches AWANA program, helping them learn to play and learn about Gods. These are the things that really get me excited.


My family is important to me and I love being with them and have a good balance of my church life, family and work.

December 19th Then and Now

December 19, 2011 Prompt:

Then and Now

What was your life like a decade ago?


About a decade ago in September our country experienced the tragedy of September 11th. That has truly changed our country forever. The day was devastating and excrusiating. The fear of a childhood threatened by the Vietnam war and its possible encroaching to Alaska, always felt real and terrifying. With the vents of 9/11 and the invading of Iraq the threat of a war in my country felt so real. The sorrow I felt for all the families of the people who were killed in the bombings and such sorrow for those hurt stayed with me for half the year.


I was 39 years old, Brian was 41 years old, Peter was 15, Andy was 12 and Edik was 4 years old. 


I am really struggling to remember. I did not sell real estate. We were singles group leaders. We went to all of Peters athletic events. I stayed home with Andy and home schooled him, while running Peter to orchestra at Newberg high from Chehalem Valley Academy. 


I hung out with Kelly Hagglund and helped her clean her rooms out. I was also friends with Debbie Holton, Paula Sprunger, Sheri Smithwick and of course Carrie McNeal.


It really was an unremarkable year. Then next year was far more interesting. 

December 18th Traditions

December 18, 2011 Prompt:

Traditions

This is the time of year when families are upholding decades old traditions and working to create new ones. It doesn't matter what you celebrate (or don't) ... please share with us your December traditions: how they got started, why you continue them, and why they are special to you.


Christmas is Lefsa. Lefsa is Norwegian,it is made with flour, cream, butter and the all important ingredient, riced potatoes. My grandfather was Norwegian and his mom-ma would make he and his sibling Lefsa. Grama Dot would make it Christmas morning for him. Then my mom always made it for us Christmas morning. I make it for my family now.


Not everyone appreciates the flavor of Lefsa, those who do not have Goodman or Peterson blood in their veins are not huge fans of these flat butter soaked potato cakes, but they appear to curiously participate in our tradition for no other reason than to be apart of it.


Lefsa always reminds me of my father. There has not been a Christmas since he died that I don't shed a tear while listing to the Statlers Brother Christmas album and rolling out Lefsa with my family, wishing for nothing more than for him to still be with us. Because he loved Lefsa, the cooking of it and the eating of it. One year he even whittled a Lefsa stick, so two people could cook at once, for those high production years. His stick and the commercial stick hang side by side in my linen closet all year long, then they emerge like Santa every Christmas morning, and after breakfast is over secretly disappear for another year.




Here is how it plays out. When we first get up Brian, Andy and Edik will peal the potatoes and cube them and put them in my two largest pots to boil while we open our presents. Once we are finished with the gifts the men clean up the mess, as I start to make the Lefsa. 


The recipe is 10 pounds of potatoes, they must be put through a potatoe ricer. This takes great strength, so one of the men in the family does that. One cup of butter tossed in with the hot riced potatoes, so that it melts and runs through them like lava. A pint of cream is drizzled over all the steaming potato and butter mixture, they delicately combine. The mixing is done by hand, lightly lifting and folding the ingredients. The flour is then added. It can take up to 2 pounds of flour, gently folding together, reducing the moisture so that the small golf ball size globs will not stick to the granite counters as they are rolled thin, like tortillas. When the small balls are divided off the large dough blob in the huge stainless steel bowl, they are kneaded with more flour to make the perfect consistency as to move slightly above the floured surface and turn and flatten and expand with the unique rolling pin.


The Lefsa rolling pin is a large rolling pin, with the rolling portion being ribbed. The ribs are the perfect replica of someone gouging the rolling pin with a fork and dragging it the length of the pin. The ribs create a texture in the dough to help it not stick. I was fortunate to find such a pin in an antique store. We had no idea there was such an item for our tradition.


While cooking the family come in to hang out while I roll these thin tortilla type wonders out on the counter, lightly toss them onto one of my two electric griddles. Brian keeps an eye on them as they cook on both sides. He uses the Lefsa sticks to turn them so both sides are toasted, but not brown.


By the end of the process of rolling and cooking up to ten pounds of potatoes into lefsa the kitchen is a floury mess. The joke is to wear black pants and at some point someone puts a white flour hand print on someones butt.


Peter and Andy have the Lefsa eat off. I think 14 is the max that anyone has done, but I could be wrong, it is their secret war to determine who is the the champion. Edik still can not hold a candle to them. They put butter on them, then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them. Sometimes, they put butter and raspberry pie filling on them with whip cream. Everyone has their own recipe for delighting in this tasty temptation.


Its funny that Lefsa was the binding tool that brought Mark and Cheri my brother and sister-in-law together. Cheri's family has the same tradition. Its also the binding agent that brings my family all together around my big granite counter to celebrate Christs birth and our heart filled Christmas tradition.