Chatbug Karen

I few weeks ago, I was using my rubber whisk with its teflon hose type coating and thought utensil favorites would be a fun thing for a FFoF theme. Val acted on my suggestion and here is this weeks question.

What are your four favorite kitchen utensils?

1. rubber whisk

2. flat skillet

3. 2 cup measuring cup

4. mini onion chopper

I wish my husband would have had the push he needed to go to culinary school when he graduated from high school. That field was not as popular as it is today. He had various jobs, electrician’s helper, meat cutter and now that he owns his own business, he is a floor covering merchandiser. It is a rewarding field but his first love, in my opinion, is cooking.

For three days now, he has been talking about making French toast. That sounded great to me! I didn’t know he would be fixing gourmet French toast. LOL OMG! It was wonderful. He took a loaf of bread and cut it into thick slices, stuffed them with cream cheese and grape jelly, dipped them in egg batter and fried them. Yummy.

If you notice I am mia, I am in the basement, walking on the treadmill.

I, like many, will be glad when this winter is over. I have enjoyed not being able to do yard work but I am almost looking forward to weeding and mowing grass.

I have been walking on my treadmill pretty regularly. I have surprised myself on how good I have been doing on making myself get down to the basement so I could walk. So, as payment for trying to stay fit, I now have shin splints. At least, that is what I think is causing my leg to hurt. I have been doubling up on ibuprofen and took a hot bath this morning. The bath gave me a chance to soften a patch of eczema that has been cropping up. Sorry. TMI, I know.

So, has anyone had experience with shin splints? What can I do to make the pain go away?

I saw this on another blog and thought it must be karma. I saw an eagle yesterday. It was sitting alone, way high up in a tree, along the river. They are majestic.

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“No wonder God wants us to spread our wings and soar with eagles.”

“The Story of the Eagle”

“The eagle has the longest life-span among birds. It can live up to seventy (70) years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision.

In its’ forties (40′s), its’ long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its’ long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its’ old age and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its’ chest and make it difficult to fly.

Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts one hundred and fifty (150) days.

The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its’ nest. There the eagle knocks its’ beak against the rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its’ talons. When its’ new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its’ old age feathers.

And after five (5) months, the eagle takes its’ famous flight of rebirth and lives for thirty (30) more years.

Why is change needed? Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits, and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present.

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to what happens. Nor by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.

When it rains, most birds head for shelter; the eagle is the only bird that, in order to avoid the rain, starts flying above the cloud.

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
(New International Version)

Psalms 103:5 “Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
(New American Standard Bible) ”