We were shopping at Macy’s one day and we saw a Grill pan under the Martha Stewart label. It has metal handles on both ends - which is a must for using on the BBQ. This pan IS THE BEST!

I love to BBQ and I love to cook fish, so this is a no brainer!

This picture shows my fish brought out to the BBQ from the kitchen. I made my sauce, drizzled it on the pan, placed the fish, drizzled some more sauce and placed it on the BBQ.

No longer will fish drop between the grills on the BBQ.

All done!

Last night I had some Halibut I wanted to cook (Thank you Barbara and Joe for the Alaskan Halibut!). I sautee’d some red onions in some butter on the stove first, added some more butter and then poured the entire mixture on my BBQ Grill Pan. I placed my Halibut filets on top of the grilled red onions and sprinkled the Halibut with some lemon pepper. Took it out to my pre-heated BBQ and cooked it! I don’t cook/BBQ it over direct heat. I leave the front burner off and keep the middle and back burner on high. I turned the fish once, got some grill marks on it and it was done. Here is one piece left -

I cooked the red onions a bit too long before placing them on the Grill Pan.  Next time I will cook them half the time so they can finish cooking with the halibut.

This was easy and VERY good!

The pan can be found HERE, but it is no longer available.  I hope they come back in stock!

I found a few other ones-

Circulon

Crate and Barrel But … it doesn’t have handles.

All Clad 

Calphalon

I used Trip Advisor UK for a TON of information while planning the trip.  If I found the info on Trip Advisor, I would also google it and double check any other resources.  Yes, I am a BIG planner!

We had 7 in our party for the time in Edinburgh and Inverness.  I started looking at hotels, but when adding up 4 rooms it became a bit pricey.

I found an apartment on Trip Advisor - Edinburgh New Town Apartment and it was GREAT!  It has 3 bedrooms and a sleeper sofa in the living room.  The 3 bathrooms sold me!  I had looked at a few apartments with 1 to 2 bathrooms and I knew that would never work with 7 … 5 of us women!  The kitchen was nice and big -

The entry way -

The front door and views up and down the street -

There is a park across the street and you are on a corner.

The only negative with being on the corner was the bus stop right outside the main bedroom and living room windows.  A little noisy, but not that bad.

We found the best place to eat right down the street (in the opposite direction from downtown Edinburgh) was an Italian restaurant - Vittoria Restaurant   Liz (the owner) has a binder with restaurant info and this restaurant was listed.  We ate there two nights it was so good.

There is a little bakery across the street on Leith.  I walked over early one morning and bought some donuts.  There were a lot of work people buying meat pies for lunch as well as coffees and breakfast items.

We found the cutest store on the way to Vittoria’s one night.  We didn’t have time to go back again .. darn it!  Cute things in that store!  But … I just found the website … The Cat’s Miaou

The first restaurant we ate in was the The Abbotsford.  I had eaten here in 2005 with my parents.  The bottom of the restaurant is a pub and the top, a nice restaurant.  In 2005, you could order pub food upstairs, but not anymore, it is a higher end menu.  Very good food both up and downstairs.

Photo by Heather

The Abbotsford is about a 20-25 minute walk from the apartment.  It is on Rose Street and there are a lot of restaurants and shops in this area.  Right before The Abbotsford, you will pass a grocery store, which is handy.

I had groceries delivered and it worked out great!  I had my girls go through Sainsbury’s website and choose items they would like.  Sainsbury’s delivered the groceries at the time I specified.  It was great!  If you don’t rent a car this is the way to go!  I had beer, whisky, water (water bottles are a must), bread, bagels, cereal, juice, etc.  AND.. papertowels.  I love a papertowel or napkin with my meal or to clean up with. 

Bring a nice bar of soap and washcloth, or your body wash and a loofa if that’s what you use.  No one provides washcloths.  Small bars of soap were provided, but I really missed my nice big bar of soap.

Liz provides a lovely welcome basket with some starters and milk in the fridge.  There are some food items in the cupboards as well.  She left us bread, cereal, crackers, cookies, tea …

There is a small washer/dryer combo in the kitchen.  We bought some degerent at the market (when eating at The Abbotsford) and left some under the sink :) 

I think that about covers things so far… more on my next post.  I’m sure I will remember something else to tell you!

The start -
We went on the hunt for old doors and such … Our initial idea was to build a simple structure that we could hang doors from so that the shed would be “open” and “airy”. It has turned out completely different, but that’s a good thing.

We found this place - Silverado Warehouse and bought our screen doors, work bench door and back splash and window door.

And … we got a few ideas -

Lots of doors to choose from!

Our choices -

We found two sets of screen doors in other areas on the grounds and here are the doors waiting to be used -

We found an old sink at a junk store in San Clemente - South Coast Furniture and Secondhand Store

So the project began -

Extending the cement pad -

Starting on the roof -

My sink area is going back by the fence -

My husband stained the wood while it went up to prevent termites from eating it!  I won’t be painting it, just leaving it like it looks here -

Sink station and cement work is being done -

Bricks will be layed back to the fence and the back walls have gone in - plus the roof!

I went to Sepulveda Building Supplies and bought my stone for the floor.  Here is our idea and what I bought-

It was a little intimadating at Sepulveda Building Supplies, but the salesman made it easy and took me out to the yard to choose my stone.  SO many to choose from!

I chose my stone by thickness and the look I wanted.  A worker brought the container to the weigh station and hand picked my stone with my help.  I think I bought 500-600 pounds.  The salesman helped calculate how many pounds I would need for the area I was going to cover.

I layed all of the pieces out and started to complete the puzzle!  You’ll see a black slate piece in my floor.  This came from extra slate from my parent’s home.  I wanted a little piece of my childhood home in my garden shed.

Grouting begins and the floor is getting done!

The two large screen doors I bought fit perfect on the side.  I was excited to be able to just open this entire side up!

You will see tongue-and-groove wood on both sides of my screen doors.  The guy I hired did this without asking as he thought I would like it.  I didn’t and have since removed it.

Time to finish the sides of the floor.

The final side starts taking shape!

You can see my sink station is complete.  The small screen door is in and I made it open as another way in!  The top (window) door is in and on door hinges and can swing out and up.  We will put some hooks or something on the eves to hold it open.

My work bench is in!  I will be tiling each of the three square areas to make the door a flat table top.

Time to finish up and add wire mesh to the open areas.

The bottom on the front you can see is open so I can hose the shed out.

My husband has stained the inside walls with a nice blue stain and also added my light.

I still have shelfs to put up and some other cute stuff!!

I love it !!!

Since I LOVE Sanuk’s I went on the hunt for a new pair for the trip.  (If you check on a past Sanuk post, you will see my Sanuk collection.)  I went to the Hobie store and checked out their selection of Sanuk’s.  Nothing really “did” it for me .. until the sales girl turned my attention to these -

YES !!!!   I loved them and they are comfortable from the minute you put them on!  They are like harachi’s kind of ..  I can’t even find them on the Sanuk website!

The only day they bugged me was walking the entire downtown area of Inverness Scotland.  My toes were bugging me and sometimes the back strap slipped off.  But … overall they were great.  Get them a little snug as they have stretched out a bit.

We went to the Edinburgh Castle and my husband had me take a picture of his Sanuks next to the oldest chapel - dating back to the 1200’s !!!

We are a Sanuk family :)  Sanuk’s are great!

More on my travels to Scotland and London soon - where to stay, eat, what to see, etc…

It was really cute and expensive!  When you can sew, you seem to not buy things, but know you can make them.  I went to JoAnne’s fabrics and bought a Pillowform pillow.  It measured about 12″ x 24″.  I bought some beige muslin fabric and cute fabric for the strips.

 - Wash all of your fabric before sewing to address any shrinkage issues.

I measured the pillow and cut the muslin for the pillow case. 

I then cut the fabric into strips and ironed them before sewing.

I gathered each piece of fabric in three places and sewed this gathering into place with a single line of stitching.  I pinned them to the piece of muslin.

I then sewed all of my fabric pieces onto the muslin. 

When all of the pieces were sewn onto the muslin, I ironed it and trimmed the edges with overhang.

With right sides together, sew the two muslin pieces together to form the pillow case.

Try it on your pillow!  Looking pretty good!  Now I just need to finish the end.  I wanted to be able to take the pillow case off for washing, so I decided to use a couple of buttons.  First, I hemmed the ends to make it look neat.

I made the end fold under, so I had to mark my button holes carefully.   I made two button holes.

Ta-Da !!

 All Done!

With our family of 5 down to a family of 3 (two daughters have moved out), I no longer bake a double batch of cookies.  And … with us watching our weight, I rarely bake cookies at all.  So, when my daughter brought a package of this cookie dough over for dessert, I thought, “This is great!  Just the right amount to bake and have in the house - only a dozen.”

I bought a package of each, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip and had this great idea :)  Put them together - half and half …  So, I cut each pad of cookie dough in half and stuck half the peanut butter and half the chocolate chip together.  YUM!  Who doesn’t like chocolate with their peanut butter?

They are really good! You should try it!

They do tend to come apart in the middle, so if you try this, perhaps “push” them together “tighter”.

You can find the “Simply” by Pillsbury in your grocery store’s cold food isle … you know with the cheese and bacon!

I attended the Writing for Wellness Seminars last month at Mission Hospital, in Mission Viejo, California.  This was put on by author of the “Writing for Wellness” book, Julie Davey and professional writer, Laura Seiler.  I was able to attend 3 of the 4 classes and they were great.  First, they fed you a nice lunch - free.  Second, it was all voluntary … if you shared or not.  You were never put on the spot to share.  I did read … or tried to read … and had Laura read it for me …. my “Addicted to Kleenex” short story (see a previous post on this blog) and after that I shared a few things.

This class taught me how to start writing, beginning, middle and end.  The book is filled with stories from patients, caregivers and survivors. 

One thing the book touched on and I did, was to write a thank you note to my Dad’s surgeon … about 4 years later than I had intended.  But… It made me feel good to do it!

When my Dad had surgery, I immediately wanted to thank the surgeon for all of his knowledge and skill at making a bladder out of a part of my Dad’s intestine!  Wow!!  Surgeons and other people in the health care field should be thanked more!

Click to see larger ..

One of our in-class writing assignments was to write about a place you are at peace …

Here’s mine ..

Paddling in my kayak in the peacefull morning at the harbor.

It takes a lot to get me there, but once I get out of bed, dress, drive, unload and get my kayak in the water, it is well worth the effort.

I paddle out and glide across the water.  It’s around 7 am and there are few people on the water.  it is quiet, peaceful, calming.

I paddle around the harbor island watching the ripples in the water, the birds, people walking on the island and a few other paddlers.  This is wonderful.  I need to do this more often.

I consider bringing my radio or iPod, but decide the quiet is better.

Maybe the next time I come out for a morning paddle I will bring my fishing rod and cast a few times, see if I can get a bite.  Now, that would be a nice morning.

I remember the time I brought my Dad kayak fishing.  I so wanted him to catch a fish., to feel the bite on his rod.  Although he didn’t catch any fish that day, I know he had a great time in my world on the water…

Kleenex piled up on the floor of the passenger side of my car became a common occurrence on the drive home from my parents. First they piled up when my Dad was fighting bladder cancer. His body was being beaten by cancer and seeing him so thin just made me cry on the way home. I was always strong in front of him, but alone in the car with the radio blaring, I let the tears flow.

Kleenex really piled up when my Mom was diagnosed with 4th stage kidney cancer 2 days before my Dad died. My eyes were puffy, red and sore and the Kleenex pile grew. I learned to pat my eyes and not rub them. I let the tears flow.

The Kleenex use continued through the next four months. Caring for my Mom, taking her to all of her appointments, radiation, Chemo, the Lab, etc… Seeing my Mom get weaker and weaker made my Kleenex pile grow in the car quite rapidly.

After my Mom passed away my Kleenex addiction grew. Sitting at my kitchen counter drinking beer, eating junk food and crying was a nightly occurrence. Handling the trust, two homes, and three brothers brought stress to a high level and the Kleenex was always there for me.

2 years for my Dad in April and for my Mom it will be in August. Kleenex and I still have a close relationship, but my use has really tapered off. The help of friends and family, a grief counselor and knowing my parents would want me to be happy has really helped.

Kleenex …  I should have bought some stock in you.

I still let the tears flow.

We were in site 44 and our friends were in site 43. Site 44 is a site that has the driveway for your cars/camper with a path down to your table, fire ring, tent area. This is fine and all, but site 45 backs right up to your drive way.

This shows how close their tent was to our camper.

This might not have been a big deal, but the site 45 campers seemed to think it was okay to walk through our campsite - either to the trash can between 44 and 43 or to the path that is right behind 43.  They didn’t have a clue on camping etiquette.  You DON’T walk through someone’s campsite, PERIOD.  Their kids rode their bikes down our driveway into their campsite.  We told them a few times “You’re in our campsite”.  The parents heard us, but nothing changed.  My husband put the cars at an angle and the kids tried to ride through.  My husband had to tell them to stop.  Hello ?????  Saturday afternoon I laid down to take a nap and I heard kids talking right next to my window.  They were sitting on their bikes in our campsite.  Sigh ….

Then, Saturday night one of their campers had too much to drink and was loud and obnoxious for about an hour.  Other campers were yelling “Shut Up” and she would yell at them.  I went into our camper and got the pamphlet the park gives you on the way in.  I called the number on the back.  It was discontinued!  Then, two park rangers walked down our driveway and talked to her.  I guess they were doing their rounds and heard her from a street over.  They walked her into our driveway to talk to her.  I immediately got up from our campfire and told them that this is “Our campsite.  Theirs is next door”.  The park ranger said he knew and was going to question her.  I told him I didn’t want my stuff messed up!  They finally arrested her as no one could drive her home.  We later asked the park ranger what number to call if we needed them, and he said 911.

We thought maybe we should put some caution tape in the camper so we can “mark our area”.  Not, that I would want caution tape strung across an area … and these campers would probably just go under it!

And … Sunday morning after all of that fiasco the night before, adults from the camp had thrown some trash away and came walking back through our site!!!  My husband told them we had had enough!

Here are some pictures of campsite 44 and 43 -

This is looking out the back window of our camper.  You can see the path down to our fire pit.

This is a picture of site 44’s table and fire pit area.  GREAT shade!  GREAT trees for a hammock.

Here is site 43 -

The path comes right up to the back of site 43 -

The lake was beautiful.  We kayaked, shore fished and enjoyed the weekend … besides having campers with no idea of camping etiquette!

There are ants, gnats, snakes, bears, bob cats :)  come prepared.  I wore flip flops all day and didn’t get any ant bites!  They would crawl on my feet, I’m sure, but no takers.