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I got this recipe from a a great list of bread machine bread recipes, and we love it around here. The notes read that it’s pretty hot, but we find it to be mild - maybe this is because I used jalapenos from a jar. Makes fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches. Enjoy!

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

3/4 cup sour cream
1/8 cup water
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (4 oz.)
3 tablespoons fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (about 4 peppers)
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Wow … hot stuff!! Serve this coarsely textured, very spicy bread at your next cocktail party and watch it disappear. It’s great with a glass of wine or a cold beer, but its perfect partner is a frosty margarita! Place all ingredients in bread pan, select a light crust setting, and press “start”. After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack, and allow to cool 1 hour before slicing.

Title: Sanity Secrets for Stressed-Out Women
Author: Sue Augustine
Summary: I judged it by the cover: a book recommending bubble baths had to have good stress-relief tips, and it did.

This book begins with the quote: “Some mornings it seems hardly worth the effort to take the cat off your face,” and I could tell it was the book for me! Sue Augustine approaches stress-reduction with practicality and a sense of humor, and I found many useful tips in this book. She certainly hit the old stand-bys (eat right, exercise…) which I usually find singularly unhelpful. That is, when I am stressed out, I don’t have time to exercise and cook, so I tend to do fast food and skip workouts. Thus, when I hear these recommendations, I just think, “Come on! Give me something I can use…”

However, her book is designed for people like you and I - people who may be so stressed, they can’t read an entire book: we need relief and we need it now! She organized the book around 25 “secrets” to reduce stress, with one chapter covering each secret. This way, you can skip right to the chapter that makes sense for you, whether it be “simplify your life” or “celebrate the joys of aging.” If a whole chapter feels like too much, skip to the end of the chapter and read the bulleted list of tips for that topic: you will still get the benefit. In addition, she wrote a number of sections called “the first resort,” in which she points out how to rely on your faith in God to reduce stress, and not as a last resort.

The last section of the book provided a new way to look at stress, and was very valuable. Augustine notes that stress is often caused by how we perceive circumstances, and describes a cycle of stress: (1) Event, (2) Thoughts about the event, (3) Self-talk, (4) Emotional response, and (5) Physical response (i.e. stress). Thus, we can interrupt the stress cycle at any point after the event occurs. She offers a formula called “CPR” - Circumstance + Perception = Result. If we challenge our automatic perceptions, manage how we talk to ourselves about events, and give our emotions only the appropriate amount of weight, we can actually reduce our stress even in the same circumstances that normally cause us problems. Read the rest of this entry »

My husband and I just saw this play last night (opening night) at Taproot Theatre in Seattle, WA. We thoroughly enjoyed the program - even more than I expected! The play is based on a novel of the same name by Jules Verne, born in France in 1828. Verne, in some ways, was one of the first science fiction authors of our time, as the inventions he came up with in his imagination have become reality today.

“Around the World in 80 Days” is known as one of the most realistic of his plays, in that he does not feature these futuristic inventions. Rather, he features a wager: Phileas Fogg, a bit of a stick-in-the-mud who prides himself on precise estimations, bet that he could circumnavigate the world in 80 days. The play follows Phileas, as well as his French man-servant, Passepartout, around the world via steamship, rail, and various other modes of transportation employed on the spur of the moment.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the play was watching four actors and one actress play over 20 individual characters. In addition, they did not employ CGI, mechanics, or any other trickery. Rather, the players successfully used a few props and their ingenuity to give the play life. The play was humorous - almost slapstick, with a bit of Monty Python tossed into the mix. We both found it to be great comedy, and I felt inspired to go back and read the book. If you go, we can recommend Olive You, a casual Greek restaurant and Wild Mountain Cafe (get the fried chicken - yum!) for a great dinner. Let us know what you think!

When you are creating your master marketing plan, try to put yourself in your clients’ shoes: will this offend or insult them in any way? I recently had a lawn-care brochure stuck in our front door, and I couldn’t help but think it was a great example of “what not to do”. This company’s flyer displayed a list of common lawn problems, and the person placing the brochure would check off the items that seemed to apply to our lawn. (see below) When I read this, I was a litle miffed! Sure, my lawn has all these issues, but does this company really think they have inspired me to do business with them? No. In fact, I felt criticized and defensive. As a test, I left it casually on the counter for my husband to come across, and sure enough, he picked it up later that evening and commented on the lack of tact in this marketing plan.

If you provide a service, you are an expert in the service and your potential customers are not experts in that area. They know that already, otherwise why would they be reading your marketing materials? There is no need to point out their flaws, and you may risk alienating them if you do so. Rather, focus on helping them solve problems and point out the benefits of your services. For example, this company could have noted how their services would save me valuable time and give me a lawn I could enjoy on the weekends, rather than have to waste weekend hours weeding, fertilizing, thatching, etc. Another approach would be to change the wording above the checklist “We can cure these common lawn problems:”. This leaves the impression that everyone has these problems, but this company can provide the solution.

Location: Bellingham, WA

URL: www.thechrysalisinn.com

Price: High

Summary: Great romantic hideaway close to home!

We happened across a lodging + spa package for this hotel in our local newspaper, and it was the perfect place for us to enjoy an early Valentine’s Day romantic getaway. The hotel is relatively new (under 10 years old) and attractively decorated in the “Northwest Chic” style - lots of exposed rafters and soothing neutral tones. The room was large and overlooked Bellingham Bay to the west, so we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the spacious window seat. Each room also features a jetted tub that opens into the room, so you can actually enjoy the view from a bubble bath!

We both scheduled massages for the morning, and they were fantastic. We always appreciate a spa like this one: as a hotel guest, you are welcome to enjoy the spa’s lounging room and steam room, even if you are not scheduled for a spa service. We relaxed in the steam room and then the lounging area both the night before as well as the morning of our spa appointment. We were treated to heated neck pillows, a warm fire, a calming view of a stony brook, as well as delicious hot tea and spa snacks.

Their continential breakfast was excellent - fresh fruit and some hot entrees as well as cereal, oatmeal, juices, etc. The hotel is within easy walking distance of Bellingham’s Old Fairhaven, so we walked and shopped. We recommend Avenue Bread for fresh, natural sandwiches and home-baked desserts. We also enjoyed Village Books where we found an old favorite: Harold and the Purple Crayon, the 50th Anniversary Edition. (egad) Though we did not bring our labradoodle this time, both the hotel and the area are “dog friendly.”

Title: Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents
Author: Deborah Gray
Summary: Surprisingly readable and eminently useful.

This book is completely awesome for adoptive parents, especially if your child was adopted at age 6 months or older, or if your child has any special circumstances (past abuse, neglect, trauma, etc.). The book is a bit like a textbook, but a very readable one - I did not find the presentation dry, and the material was all compelling.

If anything, some of the vignettes (illustrative stories about adoptive children/families) were so compelling as to be heartwrenching - it is just such a shame what some children have been through! However, every story was wrapped in hope, as the author gives concrete steps regarding what you can do to help your child in virtually every situation.

The first half of the book covers the various problems that may occur related to attachment - what it is, why it is important, and the impact of grief, trauma, cultural change (i.e. international adoption), etc. I felt that these chapters laid an excellent groundwork for the remainder of the book, which covers practical steps for handling the various issues. In fact, throughout the first part of the book, as each issue was described, the author cross-referenced the later chapter which would address that issue.

Chapter 8, one of the longest chapters, was particularly helpful. The author covered all phases of child development (from birth through teen years). In each phase, she described the characteristics of that phase, what the parents’ role is to help the child through that phase, and what we can do as parents if our child did not get the proper attention (i.e. has an emotional delay) in that area.

This is an excellent and thorough coverage of attachment in adoptive families!

In these trying financial times, you may be shying away from starting a web project or a redesigning your site. While you must always consider your expenditures carefully, I found these 13 reasons to “embrace the web” very compelling:

1. The web is cost effective
2. The web adapts and grows with you
3. The web is timely
4. The web is measurable
5. The web is improved communication
6. The web is now expected
7. The web reduces customer service costs
8. The web improves systems
9. The web builds brand awareness
10. The web is global
11. The web works whilst you sleep
12. The web is faster
13. Your competition is already here

See full article or Read “Do I need a website?”

Location: Vancouver, WA

URL: www.heathmanlodge.com

Price: High

Summary: Fantastic business hotel with perks!

We stayed at the Heathman because it was close to the Blue Lake Triathlon course, in which my husband competed, and we couldn’t have been happier. They upgraded us to their business floor for free, which includes a daily reception with food and beverages. Another benefit of the business floor is that they will bring exercise equipment TO YOUR ROOM - wow! We did not try this service however, as someone was a little sore from a triathlon… However, for the same reason, we did have a chance to try their pool and hottub. Both are in a brightly lit room with floor to ceiling windows which look out on some greenery. I liked it because of the natural light and also because it didn’t smell too strongly of chlorine.

The staff was very courteous and helpful, and the hotel itself was decorated in a pleasing rustic, hunting lodge motif. Our room was very spacious, with a desk, a big comfy chair, and a flat-panel LCD screen. This was our first time sleeping on the Tempur-pedic mattress, and we were very impressed with that - the mattress is similar to very thick memory foam and it truly doesn’t move when your bed mate gets into or out of bed in the night. A warning though: if you send away for their marketing information, you may never hear the end of them!

We had a nice dinner at the Hudson restaurant, as well. In fact, we really loved everything about the hotel, except that there wasn’t a great view from the room (freeway on one side; mall on the other). However, that was easy to overlook (so to speak) and we look forward to staying there again.

Did you know that many cars today have a little icon on the dashboard fuel guage that shows which side of the car your gas tank is on? How did I not know about this before?

We were on a camping trip with a group from church recently, and were driving an unfamiliar van. The driver stopped for gas and wondered out loud where the gas tank might be. Someone reminded him that it would show on the gas guage, and I looked: sure enough, there was a little arrow pointing to the driver’s side of the van.

I thought to myself, “Gee - it would be so great if our cars had that,” since both gas tanks are on different sides of the cars, so we forget which is which all the time. Imagine my surprise when I came home and looked - both cars have the indicator. In fact, the Toyota, which I drive most, actually says the words “FUEL DOOR” along with the arrow. Kinda’ felt a little dumb at that point, but I post here in the spirit of self-sacrifice: YOU can benefit from my ignorance!

Title: The Cluetrain Manifesto
Authors: Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger
Summary: Not a light, easy read, but the philosophies are pertinent and valuable.

This book was written based on the phenomenon that started with the www.cluetrain.com website in April, 1999. The authors posted the manifesto comprised of 95 Theses - presumably a combined allusion to the Communist Manifesto and Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.

The Communist Manifesto, among other things, bemoaned the fact that the worker has been alienated from the results of his/her work, resulting in a lack of joy and satisfaction from a job well-done. Luther’s 95 Theses, demanded direct access to God (a Biblically sound request, I might add), without having to go through the “middle man.” The Cluetrain Manifesto begs companies to put the worker back in touch with the result of the work, as well as give the consumer direct access to people inside the company firewall.

The point? Our society used to have open markets - loud and noisy street fairs with vendors hawking their wares, villagers bargaining for price, and most importantly, everyone talking to everyone. Over time, things like the industrial revolution, the assembly line, and the advent of mass-marketing caused a huge divide between craftsman and customer. No one talked anymore, and if they did speak it was some amalgamation of “corporate speak” and glossy marketing lingo.

The advent of the internet suddenly freed everyone to speak in their own voice, but corporations have been (and still are) reluctant to jump on that bandwagon. In some ways, we have revived the boisterous open marketplace online - via forums, chat rooms, social media sites and so on. As consumers, we can get the straight skinny on the products or services we want to buy from people who have actually bought those things and posted about them. We like it, and signers of the manifesto are asking for more of it.

The book expounds on these concepts thoroughly, starting with the 95 theses and going on to talk about how they apply to companies and people today. This book was actually written in 2000, and you can tell that some of the information is dated. However, the core philosophies are quite valid, even today. Namely, that people yearn to hear “real” or “human” voice on the internet - drop the “corporate speak” and marketing lingo, and also drop the attitudes behind them. It was written in open, conversational style, but even so, I found it strangely hard to read - it was like reading a 190 page blog-post. Of course, I am used to either straight fiction or more technical books - this was neither: more of a philosophical treatise. Decent.

Favorite Quotes:

We know telephones are for talking with people, televisions are for watching programs, and highways are for driving. So what’s the web for? … We don’t know what the web is for, but we’ve adopted it faster than any technology since fire.

Try snipping paragraphs of text from press releases and a few pieces of printed person-to-person email. Shuffle the paper slips. Hand the pile to your office-mate, your spouse, or your next-door neighbor. Can they sort them? Of course they can, in short order…. Talk is cheap. The value of our [human] voices is beyond mere words.

That’s the awful truth about marketing. It broadcasts messages to people who don’t want to listen.