The 6 Who Carry You

This morning I read something which not only made me teary, but put me in some very deep thought for a while.. I wanted to share it- as I beleive it is something for us all to ponder.

The speaker in church this past weekend was speaking about relationships and their importance.
” When you’re on your deathbed..what’s going to go through your mind?  Your job?  Your house?  your car?  Your successes?

No.

 You are going to look back on your life and upon all of the relationships along the way. Even the most career, goal oriented person in the world will be thinking about the people they’ve touched and been touched by…
The speaker went into something that really struck a nerve with me.. (been thinking about it since.)
“When I think about my funeral and try to picture who my pallbearers will be- it makes me think.

I’m sure that there could be some that would do the job as long as they didn’t have anything more pressing in their schedule. These are not the people that I want lifting me up and carrying me for one final time. I want those who were  true friends that lifted me up and carried me in my life when I was unable.

Those that you know will be there are the people that maybe you need to make sure you invest as much time as possible in. Make it a priority to value them and let them know all they mean or have meant to you. Take those relationships to a new higher level.

.But to sit and think ,”Who is going to be carrying me to my final resting place?”  It is a question that can make your time here on earth have a whole new meaning when you think about this.  How maybe you too can be a friend who carries another when they cannot carry themselves… 

 I mean isnt this really what life is about?

The Squeaky Gourmet strikes again!

This is a recipe from a new cookbook coming out written by my friend Maureen Jeanson.  Maureen co-authored this with  Jamie Wilson. It is filled with some awesome recipes which not only taste out of this world, but are good for you! She also has put the nutritional values for each recipe in the book as well!

What makes “Squeaky Gourmet” so unique is that it isnt just a cookbook.  It has food education, cooking 101 type things as well as tips and advice on how to become motivated, remain motivated and get healthy.

Order your copy now- this is a fantastic cookbook for yourself or even better- the health conscious person that you have no idea what to buy for Christmas! Here is a recipe that is not only fast and easy- but delicious!

Look for more about Maureen in the upcoming weeks. Not only has she put out one of the best cookbooks I have ever seen, she is one hell of a lady. To order your copy of  “The Squeaky Gourmet”  go to:

www.squeakygourmet.com

 

Western States Chili- 6 Servings

• 1 lb Ground Beef- browned
• 2 c cooked pinto beans
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 green pepper
• 3 med tomatoes OR 1 can chopped with liquid
• 2 small jalopenos
• 2 t chili garlic
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp oregano
• 15 oz canned tomato sauce
• 1 2/3 c beef broth
• bay leaf
• pepper to taste

Brown the beef first in a large pot. Drain off extra fat then add onion,  and green pepper and cook for a few minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients, bring to a boil- reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes!

You can top it with cheese, onions, lettuce, scallions, low fat sour cream, or save the remainder for burritos for the rest of the week!

Nutrition Per Serving

• 346 calories
• 15 grams of fat
• 29 grams of protein
• 24 grams of carbs

 

 

“Strong Women”

Anyone that knows me probably has one thing that comes to mind when they see me title a post “Strong Women.”  You think of weight training. Yep- thats one part of it. In the last few days I have  been in high gear. High gear with organizing my house, cleaning as if I were about to bring home a new baby, tidying up my yard, and in my realizations about some things.

One in particular is about “Strong Women.” I have been fortunate enough to have many of these in my life- the first being my Mother. As I have gotten older, and especially in the last few months I have been inspired by a few that I will share with you in the next few weeks.

The women who I will “highlight” are women who not only transformed themselves physically, but overcame such hardship, heartache and adversity while doing so. So often I hear from people, ” I am just so busy, I dont have time to prepare all that healthy food.”  OR  ” My family has so much going on, I just dont know how I will stick to a schedule of working out on a regular basis.”

Well.. let me tell you- these stories will shut down those excuses real quick when you read them. Their stories are inspiring, and they set the standard for what I call “Strong Women.” I feel honored for them to be willing to share it all with you on my blog.  They agreed just so that maybe on person would turn their “can’t into “will.”

Check in Food and Recipes for a tiny sneak preview of one of these women. It tells very little about her, but shows just one of the accomplishments she has conqured.

It wasnt “just” a tree to me

I dont even know what to title this post. I sit here early am..teary

All around me is the roar of the wind gusts and the shreiks of rain slamming the side of our home. Tropical Storm Faye is here.  I woke this morning to all of these sounds wondering what I would see when I looked into our front yard. As soon as I entered the kitchen… I knew.

Normally peeking above my kitchen shutters is the gentle dancing of the petite leaves of our Chinese Elm. She was gone.. as I got closer to the window, a lump formed in my throat, and thoughts of J, E and I bringing her home and planting her flooded my memory. My tears started to fall.

When I opened the shutters to get a better look I saw that she snapped at the base. My hope was that the roots had come up out of the ground-no…. she’s gone.

I quickly went into the bedroom where J lay sleeping, I touched his arm and said, I am so upset.. The tree… its down. I slthered back into the bed to lie there and cry.

She had grown soo much since we first planted her. We often would come across pictures and laugh at how puny she looked in our yard- but no longer.. Now she had become the home to many momma birdies building nest for their babies to come..she cradled the first bird feeders our children made in Sunday school, she was the keeper of the gigantic platic Easter eggs the Easter Bunny tossed high into our tree every Easter Eve. She was the shady tree our children sat under having their first picnic together.

Every March as I sit at the kitchen table looking out at her she told me with her tiny mint green buds, “Spring is here!”

 She represented not only life and beauty, but the growth of our family has gone through in the last 9 years. Sometimes slow..sometimes more than the year before-but always reaching as high as she could. Leaning ever so slightly, yet always trying to straighten herself to stand tall, be beautiful and upright.

  I will miss her.

Home Sweet Home

Great time, but as always soo good to be home.. J and E are sick.. so I will post more later.. maybe some pics too!

 ok..so we headed out for a much anticipated trip.. arrived only to have plans slightly change the first day due to weather.. BUT the hotel was beautiful- slides at the pool, a waterfall, fun contests of bubblegum blowing, largest splash from a cannonball, and a “Dive-In” yes DIVE in movie at night..

Both kids entered the Cannonball contest, and well… barely made a splash, but they still had a blast! Even though it sprinkled the first day and was quite overcast, J and I sat by the pool enjoying the music and scenery while the kids played.. As we watched them playing in the pool, we talked of how fortunate we feel that they play so well together.. even though they have their spats- I’ll also say they are the best of friends.. Their motto?

       Friends will come and go, but we’ll always have each other.

Day Two off to  huge waterpark that although was loads of fun, reminded J and I of our age- and we really arent that old!

One slide has us each lying on our bellies on a tobaggan type of mat with handles- you push off and down you fly! Twisting and turning going up the sides all along thinking am I gonna flip over?? We reach the bottom, J and I looked at each other – hands on our lower backs and almost simultaneously said- I think I threw my back out!

Ok.. so not funny- we both did do a number on our lower backs with that ride! But all the others were such a complete blast! E talked me into one that when it shot me out of the bottom, I met eyes with J who was watching from below. He was laughing hysterically from the look on my face.. sheesh.. the things we do so our kids can have a laugh! It was fine… but I only did it once!

Memories with the kids… they are really growing up.. esp E.. I look at her changing everyday and really cant beleive my eyes. AND C.. always entertaining. here’s a few pics from the weekend.. enjoy..

This is my favorite

Oh Canada!

We are heading off out of town for a bit. Have some business to tend to, but also going to have alot of fun! Should be a blast! We are all excited, and looking forward to some family time!  Got some new swimsuits, one of which is sex-ay BUT dont like the bottoms, so will have to go with the other- its still cute, but not my favorite! Maybe I’ll try to get pics up of the suit- ok.. I said of the suit NOT me IN the suit!

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/application/prodDisplay/?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=9C-223729&page=1&cgname=OSSWMBIKZZZ&rfnbr=1232

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/application/prodDisplay/?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=9C-221051&cgname=OSKEYSWMZZZ&rfnbr=2514

    On OUR WAY!!!!!!!

 

Went on a date

I went on a date with a new man last night. We laughed, held hands.. hugged, kissed. He even opened the door for me a time or two. We looked in the rear view mirror and talked about how we have the same eyes, same lips- he just kept pointing out how many more freckles I had than he.

We shopped, ran in the rain and giggled  (literally).  He ate pizza, I had chicken boob. We cranked up the radio and sang songs together as loud as we could. I think I’m in love.. Here he is….

Tell me laughter’s not contagious!

I think I have watched it 5 times already… LOL.. what a great way to start the day-but seriously- what is that little voice in the background?? !! LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ltd1L-gi0g

Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream (got this from Epicurious.com)

 Ok.. this sounds ok to me- but my kids have recently fell in love sooo much with Cinnamon Toast, I immediately thought of them when I saw this.. Martha Stewart I am not.. but who knows- maybe someday I will make this for them!!

We were over the moon at how the little bits of toast retained their crunchy, buttery, and, well, toasty qualities in the midst of all the rich, creamy coolness.

Active time: 40 min
Start to finish: 4 1D4 hr (Includes freezing)

Servings: Makes 1 1/4 quarts.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole milk
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
5 slices firm white sandwich bread
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon molasses
1 cup heavy cream

Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer; an ice cream maker

Preparation

Bring milk and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let steep, covered, 30 minutes.

While milk steeps, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.

Cut 3 slices bread into 1/4-inch cubes and transfer to a bowl. Quarter remaining 2 slices and pulse in a food processor to make bread crumbs. Whisk together butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in another bowl. Drizzle 3 tablespoons butter mixture over bread cubes and stir to lightly coat. Spread in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan. Add bread crumbs to remaining butter mixture and stir to evenly coat. Spread crumbs evenly in another shallow baking pan.

Bake bread cubes and crumbs, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes total. Cool in pans on racks, then transfer bread crumbs to a bowl.

Return milk to a boil, then pour over bread crumbs and let stand 10 minutes. Pour milk through a fine-mesh sieve into saucepan, pressing hard on solids, then discarding them.

Whisk together yolks, granulated sugar, molasses, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Return milk mixture to a boil and add half to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking until combined well. Add yolk mixture in a slow stream to milk in saucepan, whisking, then cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and thermometer registers 170 to 175°F (do not let boil).

Remove from heat and immediately stir in cream, then pour custard through fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Quick-chill custard by setting bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally until cold, about 15 minutes. Freeze custard in ice cream maker until almost firm. Fold bread cubes into ice cream, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

Cooks’ note: Though the toast is crunchiest the first 2 days after it’s made, the ice cream keeps 1 week.

I’ve Learned. ( author unknown)

• I’ve learned that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
• I’ve learned that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
• I’ve learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. The same goes for true love.
• I’ve learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
• I’ve learned that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
• I’ve learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
• I’ve learned that you can keep going long after you can’t.
• I’ve learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
• I’ve learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
• I’ve learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
• I’ve learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
• I’ve learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
• I’ve learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
• I’ve learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
• I’ve learned that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
• I’ve learned that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.
• I’ve learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them, and less to do with how many years you have lived.
• I’ve learned that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
• I’ve learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
• I’ve learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
• I’ve learned that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do love each other.
• I’ve learned that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
• I’ve learned that two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.
• I’ve learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.
• I’ve learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you you will find the strength to help.
• I’ve learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
• I’ve learned that the people you care about most in life are sometimes taken from you too soon