Really Big News!

And now for my really really Big News!   This is going to be my last post.... for awhile.

I love meeting you here and talking about neighborhood news, but I'm swamped and burning the proverbial candle at both ends.  As you can probably guess, I'm burnt out! And I still have books to finish writing, children that need me and a dear husband who is recovering from a stroke.  I will miss writing to you and reading your comments.  Just know that I hope to get things organized and in better shape in my life so I can meet you back here in the Spring.


I will miss you but I'll be checking in on Facebook and Linkedin everyday or so.  Write to me under the name of Gloria Warnick and I'll do my best to write back.

TTFN  (TaTA For Now).

PS: I found these pictures of Life Pathways and I thought they were great.  Enjoy!

The Perfect Snow Solution!

I found the perfect solution..But what is the problem?...Strangely the problem is not enough snow..Now\t enough to walk on safely but just enough to make the ground slick and unsafe.


I made a trip to my sporting good store and found the perfect solution.  They are called Yaktrax's and they  fit around my shoes...Think snow tires but for your shoes.  I got the ones with the Velcro straps.  This way, they won't fall off in the snow and get lose.

Are the ease to walk in.  Yes!  And they are ease to put on. Yep!  The perfect solution.

Hayden Lake

The weather changes have brought a contrasting beauty into this region that I wanted you to see.  This is Hayden Lake.   The colors are all natural as this is an unre-touched photo.  I drove up to the lake, parked, walked three feet onto the snow-grass and snapped this photo.  Amazing!

Bread Making

Yesterday our house was filled with church attendance and one of our favorite pastimes.  Bread making.
 My husband Bill makes the bread and I make cinnamon rolls.  We've been doing this once every three months or so for the past thirty years and we're still having fun.


Here's the bread recipe that we use. It makes enough for 4 loaves of bread or 2 loaves of bread and about twenty small cinnamon rolls The BIG trick is to use Safflower High Oleic oil.  It makes an incredible light tasting bread that we love...


White Bread:

4 Cups hot water
4 teaspoons Yeast
4 Teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons Oil

4 Tablespoons Sugar
Flour, about 9-11 cups total

Combine 2 cups flour and yeast.

In large measuring cup, heat 3 cups water to 120-130 degrees.  Add salt, oil and sugar to hot water and stir until dissolved.

Add flour gradually until dough forms and pulls away cleanly from the side of the bowl.  In a Bosch this is about 8 minutes.  Dough should be slightly tacky but elastic when pinched with fingers.

Remove dough from mixing bowl, form into a nice rounded ball, and drop into a greased bowl to coat dough ball.  Turn dough ball over and cover bowl, set in a warm place and let dough rise until double in size about 30 to 40 minutes.

Punch down dough, remove from bowl and divide into 4 equal parts.  Form into loaf shape, set on a lightly floured surface, cover and let sit for about five minutes.

Grease loaf pans and shape balls into loaf shape and place in loaf pans or roll into 8X14 size squares to make cinnamon rolls.

If making bread:  let dough rise until double about 30-40 minutes in a warm place.

If making cinnamon rolls:  Melt one teaspoon of butter and pour onto rolled dough.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and add nuts and raisins to taste.  Roll side over one another and form a log,  Cut into sections with dental floss (see picture).   Let rise until double in size 20- 30 minutes.  Bake at 350 degree  for 12 to 15 minutes.

Bake the bread 30 to 40 minutes.  The bread will appear golden brown after about 20 minutes.  You will need to put an aluminum foil tent over the bread for the last 10 minutes so the top doesn't burn.

Remove loaves from pans and let cool on wire rack.  Rub top of each loaf with butter to soften crust.  Place in plastic bags when warmth remains barely discernible in loaf.

Enjoy!

Jason Ball

I had another article published in the Latter-day Sentinel.  I love interviewing.   I get to meet the most Amazing People! http://spokane.latterdaysentinel.com/

 

January 05, 2012

News

Hayden Lake humanitarian scales hurdles to help others

By Gloria J. Warnick, Staff Writer

Share:  

January 05, 2012 — As a distance runner and triathlete, Jason Ball understands that every race has its obstacles - but they are nothing compared to the challenges he has faced in real life.

The first event occurred when he was 10 years of age. His younger brother and best friend, David, was killed when a motor home backed over him accidentally. He was 8 years old. This traumatic incident brought a solemnity to Jason's life that had not been there before.

When Jason was 14, he suffered one of the worst femur breaks ever seen in San Diego, the result of a motocross accident. He was confined to a body cast and was told he would never run again. Jason not only learned to walk in his body cast, but at the age of 25, he became a runner.


After suffering a severe motocross injury that left him in a body cast, Jason Ball was told he would never run again. He now competes in marathons and triathlons. Contributed Photo.

"One of my legs is a bit shorter and twisted, and my footprints in the snow appear a bit odd," Jason said. "But I know that perseverance in the face of adversity is essential."

Jason currently runs three to 10 miles a day and participates in marathons and triathlons but sits out the Coeur d'Alene Ironman competition because it is held on Sunday. He relies on his dog, Diesel, to help him keep on track and adhere to his schedule of morning runs.

When he is not running, Jason works as the Community Relations manager for the Four Seasons Retirement Community where his schedule involves collaborating with hospitals, doctors and community action groups. But his family health needs have brought new meaning in a quest to provide service to others whil establishing an outline of definable goals.

"My wife had cancer treatments recently," said Jason. "Whenever she was dehydrated, they would have a hard time putting a needle in her arm. So I thought, 'Well, We need to figure out a better needle.' I know that the cost factor is part of what makes this difficult, but I would like to invent a needle that is small enough to insert into a collapsed vein but then can expand to allow a greater flow."


Jason served as the Hayden Lake Stake coordinator for the Day of Service this year. He works full-time for the Four Seasons Retirement Community. Contributed Photo.

"I've thought of a couple of ways this could work," Jason continued. "However, needles are disposable, so they need to be relatively inexpensive. But what if this were one of those backup items for patients that are severely dehydrated or for when the health provider knew there was a history of difficulty accessing a vein for some reason. Maybe it could be a specialty item in a hospital, I don't know. There seems to be a tremendous need."

Some of us get to hear music, some of us create art or words, but Jason redesigns the things that he sees every day. Even though he has written and drawn his thoughts, most of his work has stopped at the design stage.

Jason says that he loves the fact that life has many facets. "Life is an exploration," he says, but then seems genuinely surprised at where his explorations have led him, back to philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors, with an emphasis on technology and in the medical community.

"The cost of patents, and just not enough hours in a day are a couple of the reasons," he said. "However, as I move through life, I'm realizing that rather than always trying to do everything by myself; it's nice to be involved with other people. And, as I get involved with other groups I find that I can accomplish things that I couldn't possibly have done otherwise."

For example, Jason was the Hayden Lake Stake coordinator for the 'Helping Hands, Day of Service' this year. He worked with the University of Idaho Extension Office as they created a mobile food bank for the event. The experience gave him the opportunity to work within the community networks to meet a specific community need.


Jason has decided to sit out the Coeur d'Alene Ironman competition each year because of his commitment not to compete on Sunday. Contributed Photo.

His daily work in the assisted living care industry also gives him a unique understanding concerning the needs of many homebound seniors.

"They may still be active and able to cook meals for themselves but getting out to purchase food items can be a problem," he said. "I'd like to create a nationwide mobile food bank program for the delivery of food to our seniors. Yes, there is already a wonderful Meals on Wheels Program - and they deliver prepared meals to the homebound but there are also a great many people who aren't ready for that program but still have a level of need."

Jason recently talked with the local Community Action Partnership and has an appointment to sit down and map out his plan. This group was set up with a promise to change people's lives by embodying the spirit of hope, improving communities, and making America a better place to live. They care about the entire community, and are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other. (www.communityactionpartnership.com).

Jason, a father of five, currently serves on a variety of community boards including the Hayden Senior Center, CareNet (2012 president), Advisory Council Dirne Clinic (advisor), Hayden Chamber of Commerce (board member) and the Gem Community Citizens Project Group (chairman of the board).

One group that Jason works with is the Gem Community Citizens Project Group. This board was formed to look at needs in the Hayden community. While the shortages may seem overwhelming, progress is being made by focusing on one project at a time. The baseball fields at Crofoot Park were GCCPG's first undertaking. The Hayden Senior Center has also been developed under its umbrella. The center, a non-profit organization, now serves thousands on an annual basis.

Life takes many turns and we stumble into people at the most opportune times of our lives. Jason had several experiences that he feels helped him establish profound roots in the arena of wellness and living a healthy lifestyle. His character traits of compassion and perseverance can, hopefully, inspire us to make our daily lives more productive by recognizing opportunities to serve and finding solutions to everyday problems - one step at a time.

A month's worth of photo's for your memory book.

I found this and it sounds fun!  Here are my first two photo's.  I promise I won't sent out one a day, but I thought you'd enjoy creating a memory book also.

My weight goal for 2012
        Lose 20 pounds.

Breakfast on Day Two:  But it's o.k, really.  I walked around the block three times...in the cold.

It's January. Where is the snow?

January in North Idaho and there is no snow on the ground!  In fact, the weather is warm.  Not balmy and sunny, but surprisingly warm for this time of the year.  We usually have several feet of snow at this time of the year!






I was at the Hayden Library this morning, turning in a video and I was standing waiting for the doors to open  (they open at 10:00 a.m. and not a minute before!) A lady came up and wondered if any of my flowers were coming up.


  

She had booked flights to Texas weeks ago, so she could be in warm weather at this time of the year and here it's so warm I am hoping my flower bulbs don't get confused and sprout up. 

Nope, No confused flower bulbs here....just the usual determined weeds!   AAAAAH!  Looks like I'm going to have to get out my hoe!  Maybe snow wouldn't be so bad after all.

Christmas Cleanup 2011 - Happy New Year!

We took down the tree, put away the decorations and the garland.
And do you know what we found  last on the tree?  The same ornament that took down last on the tree the year before!  What's with that?  I told my children about it and they laughed at me and said,  "You tell us the same story, every year, Mom."  Don't you know that it was decreed in some heaven some where that that ornament was to be the last one to be taken down...every year. Well, maybe that is true...and maybe it's not.Either way there is a corner in my living room that is looking very empty!  What I did, however was to put on my thinking cap and jog back over the years.  Do you know that the kids were right!  I've been taking down that silver unicorn ornament last every year.  Maybe its a memory thing...I don't know. or maybe because it is the last thing I put in the box so it's the first thing I put on the tree every year.  What ever it is it's fun.  So here's me wishing you a clean house and a Fun New Year!

PS:  If you get to choose - go with the Fun New Year!