Category Archives: Odds and Ends

Miscellaneous posts of different types that don’t fit into a specific category.

Our Christmas Trolley

Posted on by
4

Trolley-side-1

I love our little Christmas trolley. We bought it several years ago when people were collecting everything, Beanny Babies and Happy Meal toys were the rage. We were sure that eventually this stuff, would be worth a fortune. The reason I remember this, is because when we first spotted the trolley in a local hobby shop, the sales man tried to talk me into buying the 1997 model because it had been the first in the Lionell Trolley collection and would eventually be worth more as a collector’s item. I turned it down and chose the little red and green  1998 model instead. The other was cream color and just didn’t have  that Christmas feeling.

trolley-leaving2 Every year when the trolley comes out of storage, and begins its trip around the tree, stopping at the miniature village, I’m reminded of when I was a little girl looking into the back of the family radio. I studied the amber tubes, certain there were tiny people inside running the radio. When I look at the little village under the Christmas tree,I’m sure those same little people are living in the village. Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it doesn’t come without its stresses, mainly because we think it should be perfect. We must remember that nothing is perfect, but we can be happy without perfection. When I watch the trolley make its stop at the delightful village, I imagine I’m aboard, and am instantly relaxed and in the holiday spirit. Below you see the trolley leaving the village, and yes that is me looking out the back window.

trolley-leaving

Another Benefit of my Stove Top Espresso Maker

Posted on by
Reply

On-the-stoveI purchased this stove-top espresso maker while visiting New Zealand earlier this year. I  wrote a post at that time titled, Love my stove top espresso machine.

I enjoy getting up very early every morning to write. It’s a time when I can sit quietly with a cup of coffee and my journal. This morning I thought about my espresso maker. I’d used it quite often when I first arrived home from New Zealand, but had relied on my electric coffee maker more recently. I was out of espresso grind coffee this morning,  but wondered if I could use regular grind instead. Here’s what happened.

water-in-bottomFirst I separated the lower section of the coffee maker and poured in filtered water to just below the pressure valve, which you can see slightly above the water line.

basketNext I placed the basket into the lower section and added two tablespoons of regular grind coffee, as seen below. Coffee should not touch the water.

Grounds-in-basketNext I securely reattached the lower section to the top section of the espresso maker and placed it on the stove burner. I like to use a lower temperature setting.

While the coffee heated, I poured almond milk into my bright orange coffee cup.

As the water heated in the espresso maker, I could hear it begin to hiss and gurgle as the steam forced the hot water through the ground coffee. When the hissing stopped,  the coffee was ready. I let it sit for a few seconds then poured it into the mug. It was very hot, so I was careful not to burn my fingers.

pouring-coffeeWhen I finished this process, I had a delicious cup of coffee and I’d learned that regular grind coffee works just as well as the finer espresso grind. This means I can use regular grind decaf when I want a cup of coffee later in the day. This is also less expensive than the single serving pods I usually use. It’s a little more work, but worth it. So glad I remembered to use the stove top espresso maker.