Write That Note Today

Today I took a bit of time to write a long overdue note. I’ve been thinking of sending news to a friend for two months now. I feel so much better now that I’ve done that. I value my friends so I feel so good about sending it. If you’ve been thinking of someone, why not let them know – send a notecard or an email.  Just a few words will do.

The cards displayed here are for sale on Etsy.com. Click on the card for the link.

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Fruit and Nut Gluten Free Bread

(This is a photo of my first loaf – made a few weeks ago)

(This is photo of my second loaf – made today)

(Today I am making this recipe for a friend, so I thought I would write a post.)

For some time, I thought about a bread machine with a Gluten Free setting. I’ve seen them online but since I consume very little bread, I didn’t really want to put out the expense.  Recently, I was at my favorite department store and I saw  a bread machine on sale – to my surprise it had a GF setting.  Well, I quickly snatched one up and spread the word to my friends. I made this recipe and when it was done, my husband and I couldn’t stop eatting it. Quite frankly this is the  best white flour GF bread I’ve consumed. Because I have never made bread (in a machine or in the oven) I wanted to be careful. All ingredients were room temperature. I also measured all the ingredients in advance and added them one by one, as listed in the recipe.  This bread freezes really well. Slice it, wrap the loaf in plastic,  wrap loaf again but in foil this time, put the wrapped loaf in a freezer bag,  pop in the freezer.  It tastes marvelous when it’s thawed – really.  My favorite time to eat this bread is at breakfast. I toast it and top with my homemade chunky applesauce. Soooooo good!

(Model B6000C)

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I’m reading a whole lot more

Since I purchased my ebook reader, I sure have been getting a lot of reading done.  I purchased a mini version so that it fits in my purse. Wherever I am now, if there is a delay, I can read without lugging a book around. I’ve been making more trips to the coffee shop ’cause I really enjoy reading there.  I’ve mostly rented novels from the library – however, the selection is limited. I’ve also purchased a few ebooks that are more reference type books related to a hobby of mine.

Frankly, I didn’t find the ebook reader that easy to use at first, and I am comfortable with computers. The instructions are very poor. I fumbled around for several hours trying to determine how to get ebooks onto the device. As it turned out, I needed to download an interface called Adobe Digital Editions onto my computer. After this was installed, I needed to sync my device. Also, I purchased a pdf version of a book and not an EPUB (that word is key when using an ebook reader- EPUB).  I find the pdf format  very cumbersome to read on an ereader. I’ll only use the EPUB format moving forward. Now, a person can download a ebook from Kindle or Kobo directly using the device and wifi, but this does not work if you are renting a ebook from the library or using a differant electronic resource provider. In this case, you must download Adobe Digital Editions onto your computer; download the ebook to Adobe Digital Editions; and then sync your device. Now that I have sorted out all the kinks, I am enjoying the ebook reader.

The pros of an ebook reader for me are: eco friendly, compact; lower price than a paper book; font is adjustable; highlighting and bookmarking feature; word search feature; can borrow from library; stores many books. For me the cons include: sharing a book is not possible; device requires recharging monthly; PDF is cumbersome; set up is not user friendly.

I would recommend an ereader to everyone, but I would suggest having a friend, who is using the device,  show you how to use it. You’ll avoid wasted time and possible frustration. I have noticed many ereaders listed on used sites for resale with comments like ‘just isn’t for me’.

( I purchased a basic mini ebook reader for 39.99, case included, at Costco. The brand is Kobo)

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