Insight from the Dalai Lama

My sister Sweetie gave me a daily calendar with quotes from the Dalai Lama.  I like this one a lot.

47 Ronin

WHOA!!!  Here's a link:  47 Ronin



Thanks for sharing, Cy!!

Kris' Baby Shower

Kris' baby shower was held last weekend at her sister Toni's house in Manoa.  We had a great time . . . everything was perfect.  Kris was beautiful as usual. Here are a few pictures.

Brave at U of M Amplatz Children's Hospital

Try no cry . . . no can.  Here's a link:  Brave




Thanks for sharing, Bobbi!!!

Baked Swiss Steak

A little while back my cousin Karen mailed a cookbook to Wendell.  The book contains a collection of recipes submitted by members of IAAP in Hawaii (International Association of Administrative Professionals).  It's called Admins, Aprons and Aloha: The ONE Cookbook You Will Ever Need.  Wendell has been studying it, and the other day he made Swiss Steak using one of the recipes from the book. 

It was some ono!  Thank you Karen!  I'm sure Wendell will be making more dishes from the book.



Tri-tip steak (one tray from Costco or Sam's)
2 large sweet round onions
Ketchup
1 Tbsp. salt
Pepper to taste
Flour
Oil for browning

Cut up strips in thirds then cut in half so you have fairly thin strips. In a zip lock bag put 2 cups flour, salt and pepper. Shake meat pieces in the flour bag.  Fry on stove top for a couple of minutes until brown on both sides. Layer browned meat and sliced onions in a baking dish.  Place a dollop of ketchup on each slice of meat. Sprinkle salt over the finished layer.  Fill a quart-size empty bottle with water. Add 2 heaping Tbsp. of flour and shake.  Pour over meat and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Nefful Gloves

Awhile back Aunty's caregiver showed me a brochure of "awesome" health products called Nefful. They supposedly work on a "negative ion" principle. While the caregiver was raving about the health benefits and how this person and that person's health issues totally went away after using the products, I (always skeptical) quickly leafed through the brochure for the cheapest thing that I could find just so that I could help her out.  

I picked these gloves because, after all, I do wake up with stiff fingers every morning.  I thought that it would be worth the $30 to try them out, even though I really had my doubts.





I've been putting the gloves on when I sleep (when I remember) for the past few weeks now.  Surprise, surprise . . . I think they're working.  I'm not really certain, but I think my fingers are less stiff in the mornings now.  For real.  So Wendell's gonna take a look at the brochure to see if there's something that he could use.

I just have to tell you . . . there's this bizarre thing that happens with the gloves while I sleep.  Almost every night when I get up to go to the bathroom, I'll find that the glove on my left hand is off.  It'll be on the bed somewhere.  It can't come off on its own . . . trust me . . . I've tried. I have to use my right hand and pull at each finger to get the glove off.  It totally baffles and intrigues me that I do this and have no memory of it.  

Many people who I've talked to about this are not surprised.  They can relate similar experiences . . . with retainers, moisturizing gloves, etc.  Me . . . I'm thinking, "How can?"  

I wanna get a video camera-thing to record me sleeping at night.  I wanna see me actually taking off the glove.  OR . . .  and this is what I really think . . . catch the menehunes that come at night and take it off.

Nat and Her Baby Sister

Galangal

If your husband calls you at work and asks you to pick up some ginger on your way home, don't get this.  It's called galangal and although it looks like young ginger to you, it's not.



And even though you wen already get out of your work clothes and had on your t-shirt and baggy shorts, you gonna have to change clothes again and go back out to the market.  Because even though galangal is a close relative of ginger and is a popular ingredient of Southeast Asian cuisine, it's not good enough. 

This, FYI, is ginger.

Snail Patrol

Another lemon plant got ravaged.  Makes me so mad. It's probably the Suckin' Snails.


One evening, I put some Hawaiian salt around my pots.




The next morning I found one snail trying to find a safe route.


Suckin' Snail


I've started doing snail patrols at night.  This one somehow got through my salt barrier.


And look one frog!  I actually saw two.

And this lizard.


Ewwwwwww!!   


Honolulu Aunty gave me this to use against bugs.  I'm hoping it'll be a deterrent against reptiles/amphibians/snails too.

Halloween 2013

Some of us had fun at work yesterday.

Duck Dynasty rules . . . and me, Mich and CQ prove it


Les is a bearded Red Sox player.


A Power Ranger came to visit.




Susan made some shortbread finger cookies.












Because we looked so good, here are the Duck Commanders again.