Trials of Quitting Smoking

Bear with me. This quitting smoking thing sucks. Major big time. Day 11.

Oh yeah, I will be revisiting this subject.

Did I mention that quitting sucks???

I guess the message is don't start.

Love,

Nell

Randomness

Gal Pal IM exchange.

Her:

BRB

7:23 PM

I think it's time to change my avitar. I don't have red hair anymore. LOL

7:24 PM

You smokin or poopin?????? LMAO

7:24 PM

Oh yeah you have 5 kids. Forgot. Still LMAO

7:25 PM

I really crack myself up talking to myself.

7:25 PM

At least I haven't started answering myself.

7:26 PM

Or do I?

7:26 PM

OK that is definately not a brb. It is a brb in FOREVER

7:27 PM

Spousal Unit made to to the States OK. He called me this morning to let me know that he arrived safely. He got to have Subway for dinner last night and had it again for breakfast. Poor baby. Footlongs for 5.00. I made chicken salad and had that for dinner last night and for breakfast this morning. Hmmm could we be on a similar wave length?

She never did get back to me.

And how was your day?

Oh Yeah, By The Way

It is now day ten of not smoking. OMG, Spousal Unit isn't home and all I want to do is go out and buy a pack. I won't, but I want to.

I guess undoing 35 years of a bad habit isn't going to be a walk in the park.

Lent

While out and about I found an olive oil dispenser that I have been searching for long and far. Well, maybe not all that far but since I have been here. It came in a gift box, so it was a little pricey. Good thing that Spousal Unit likes spicy. He did marry me, didn't he? He was rather pleased when I showed him that it is a hot chili pepper olive oil. He adds heat to most of his dinners.

Oh yeah, the Lent part. We observe Lent. So no meat on Friday. Unfortunately we do not like fish. We like shellfish, but both of us need to watch our cholesterol. So cute little grilled shrimpies like I had in Brussels come few and far between. I figured that I hadn't made stuffed shells in quite some time so that's what I made.

I changed up the recipe a little this time and added chopped spinach and real Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese that I grated into to the cheese mixture. The Parmigiano was so tasty I had to eat a wee bit. Heaven.

Don't they look all pretty in the pan prior to baking?

Don't they look really good after baking?

I love living in Europe. I found a nice bottle of Italian Frascati for a pittance at the same local corner store. Light, dry, really good.

Add a lovely salad of mixed greens.

And a nice crusty baguette for sauce sopping. Dinner was awesome.

I'm gonna weigh a ton after four years of eating like this.

It Is Blooming Again

I have Spring Fever. I have stated that in the recent past and I have also hinted at it. It just is. I get the fever every year. It starts in late December when I start to get the seed catalogues.

I drool over all the new seeds that are advertised and want to buy them all. In the past, I could buy many of the seeds and try them out, because in the States I had enough land to plant just about anything.

Here in Germany, my landlords are letting me have a garden, but I do not have as much space to experiment with new plants.

Boo hoo. Also, most seed companies will not ship seeds here. So I went to several local stores, and in my best reading/deciphering of German bought some seeds. (I also had a friend send me some of my favorites. I didn't just mention that did I?)

Chives, and basil. Can't live without them. I also am growing dill, parsley - flat and curly, and cilantro.

Six different types of peppers. Only two plants per type this year. I usually have 6-8 plants of the same type. I also have about five different types of tomatoes this year. I will probably give away any extra plants to friends.

Yesterday I went to the local Home Depot type store, here it is called Toom. I found these for a major bargain of .49 Euros cents per plant. They are beautiful and I can plant them in planters this weekend and put them out now.

My major score is the perennial spices I picked up. Thyme, two different types, oregano, and rosemary. All for 1.90 Euros. That is a major deal.

To really make my week, my Christmas cactus is acting like an Easter cactus. It is blooming again.

Such Inner Conflicts

One of my blogging buddy gal pals is Kim @ Parachuting Without a Net. She is a regular commenter and claimed that she has gained some weight recently because of my discussions of my trip to Brussels. So I sent her a comment that I would be kind to her and not talk about food for a while, to allow everyone to lose all the virtual weight they gained during my last few posts.

She came back at me to go to another country and post about food. WTF????? Her comment is below:

Now, go to Italy and send us pictures and stories of pasta and wine. :)

My comment back at her is:

I will go to Italy, soon.

I just won't be going there until the Spring or Summer. My Step-mother-in-law's sister has a villa on the coast and we will be having a family reunion there.

Besides you said that I can't post foodie stuff right now.

I may or may not listen to you. But we do follow Lent, so I am supposed to be in a reflection mode.

Actually, I am in a Spring Fever mode.

Such inner conflicts.

P.S. If anyone out there can show me how to post a link in my blog I would be eternally grateful. Well, maybe not eternally, but really, really grateful.

P.S.S Meg, I joined ya in the no smoking thing. 6 days and counting. I had to give it up too.

Brussels, Belgium Part V - The End

A detail on one of the buildings in the "Grand Place." Lots of gold leaf.

These are some of the buildings on the "Grand Place."

This is the Greek joint street outside the back of the hotel. Pretty and of course the food is wonderful every where.The worst part about this street are the guys that stand in the doorways asking, beggibg you to come in, eat there, they have the best food. I had one follow me down the street for a few yards before he finally got that I wasn't going to eat there.

This is the scene that Brussels uses as a visual for tourist purposes. (Also on the "Grand Place.")

The Atomium. Built in 1958. We went to the top. All.. the.. way.. to.. the.. top. Lots of walking, stairs, elevator, and escalators. Interesting. Belgium used this as the centerpiece for a Belgium International Fair. It was the start of the World's Fairs of later years, as we know them.

This just about sums up our visit. I had a blast and would not hesitate to go back.

Decadence.