Wednesday, November 30, 2011

thankful at thanksgiving...

our thanksgiving was really beautiful.  i was totally in my element.  to me there is nothing
better than to be surrounded by loving family, friends and great food.  i love to cook, i love
to decorate and  i love to love people.  i think thanksgiving should come once a month.


mom preparing turkey #1, turkey, matty loving grammy, michael's famous antipasto, the fam, the kids, the food, braelyn's amazing cookies, the entertainment. 





and happy birthday drew.  xo


 love my family, xoxo

Thursday, November 24, 2011

birth.. (the time when something begins)

happy happy birthday.  my love. 

our mothers held the secrets to us this whole time,
and as we ask “why didn’t you ever tell me?”
they whisper a smile, “you wouldn’t have believed me.”
…some things can only be learned with time…
it is the reminder that they are the strongest species on earth,
and we are now one among them.

it's hard to believe you have been part of my life for 27 years... one the most amazing parts.
thank you. xoxo

Happy Happy Birthday Drew...

i love you, mom


i am thankful for the food before us, the friends beside us, and the love between us. happy thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

best ever sauce...

for the best ever apple cake from a few blogs ago...

best ever sauce


1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light cream (such as half & half)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of nutmeg



in a medium saucepan, slowly heat butter, sugar, and cream over low heat. stir for 10 - 15 minutes until well blended and thickened. The house will smell heavenly. Keep it on low; do not allow the sauce to boil. lastly, add the vanilla and nutmeg. Spoon (generously) over pieces of apple cake. serve warm.
enjoy.

love sent, xo

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Monday, November 14, 2011

sometimes i need to be reminded...

there was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.
she hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend...
he was always there for her.
she told her boyfriend, 'if i could only see the world,
i would marry you."
one day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. when the bandages
came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
he asked her:
now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'
the girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind.
the sight of his closed eyelids shocked her.
she hadn't expected  that  - the thought of looking at them the rest of her life
led her to refuse to marry him.
her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying:
'take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before
they were yours, they were mine.'
this is  how the human brain often works when our status changes.
only a very few remember what life was like before, and who
was always by their side in the most painful situations.
                                     life is a gift

today

before you say an unkind word - think of someone who can't speak..
before you complain about the taste of your food -
think of someone who has nothing to eat.
before  you complain about your husband or wife - think of someone
who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
today
before you complain about life - think of someone who went too early to heaven..
before whining about the distance you drive think of someone who
walks the same distance with their feet.
and when you are tired and complain about your job -
think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
and when depressing thoughts seem to get you down -
put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still  around.

anonoymous

Friday, November 11, 2011

someone like you...



love sent, xxoo

beneath my heart...

is a place for you.  it's friday again - we are one strong wind away from bare trees.  its dark early, geese fly overhead.  the crisp air meets me at the door.  i crave my warm house and silence.  it's been a long, hard, week.  this weekend i want to linger in the kitchen and pour over comforting recipes.  these are the gifts of the season i love best....this house and it's contents breathe comfort and peace into my lungs.

love sent, xo

Monday, November 7, 2011

thankful...

 it's november the month to be thankful -  not sure what happened to october.  i know it started out so warm we had a picnic in the grass then 30 days later we ended up with a major blizzard.  heavy, wet, snow that damaged the trees in our yard. but that makes life exciting right?  just like hearing your favorite song on the radio or an unexpected note from a friend you haven't heard from in a while. unexpected things make it all worth while. aren’t you thankful for a nice warm house on a really cold day?  or a shady spot on a miserably hot day? the spot of shade would just be a spot of shade if it wasn’t for the unbearable heat. how about the way it feels to walk into a warm coffee shop when you’re christmas shopping during a blizzard? the coffee shop would just be a coffee shop without the blizzard to make you appreciate all that is great about it.
…and that’s how life is…it helps to make sense of things that aren’t so pleasant. without the bitterness, we would never, ever, know the sweet…we wouldn’t even know that there was such a thing…unless there were hard days, a hug would just be a hug…a smile would just be a smile…unless there was difficulty, a finish line would just be a ribbon across the road.  unless we had trials we would not be able to really, really, appreciate all the good.

embrace today and all it has to offer. 

love sent, xo

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

keep calm and carry on...

i found this simple project on line and thought of all my little friends who have toddlers who sometimes get a bit overwhelmed and need some calming.  this would be the perfect solution.  the more i thought about it the more i thought it could work for adults too.  i might just make one for myself.
(a mind jar is a meditation tool to use whenever a child feels stressed,overwhelmed or upset. imagine the glitter as your thoughts. when you shake the jar, imagine your head full of whirling thoughts, then watch them slowly settle while you calm down.

mix 1 tablespoon of pink glitter-glue with about 1 cup of hot water or more , then added pink food colouring and a tiny tub of glitter. pour it into a plastic jar.

the glue makes the water so thick and gooey that the glitter just slowly and gently swirls around, it takes about 5 minutes for all the glitter to settle, perfect to gather your thoughts!
shake whenever you need to destress.

                                            photo from miri at here we are together.

have a calming day . xo

life

life is where you are  -    by paul coleman

well i took my lady to the top of a mountain
we hung our feet over all creation
and we agreed that the sight was beautiful
and we agreed that tomorrow it'd be a memory
and as far as we could see was all that we could be
but the land had seen lovers come and go

life is where you are

she said think about the greatest day in your life
a day you were longing for the sun to rise
you said hey this is the life that i've been looking for
and you groaned as the shadows fell on the floor
and up on that mountain we saw our days
rise like a vapour and float away
life is where you are

think of all the times, think of all the times,
when you've dreamed of being somebody somewhere in another time
and you closed your eyes and been swallowed by sleep
and your secret desires they rise from the deep
you say i wish i was somebody someone else
'cause life looks real from where they are

life is where you are

we're all looking for security
it's the basic drug of human need
i've lost faith in things that fade
or things that get stolen or get taken away
and up on that mountain we saw our days
rise like a vapour and float away

life is where you are
talking about L I F E

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

apple cake...

2 cups chopped apples
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped nuts

put apples in bowl with sugar mix together leave for 10 minutes.  blend butter and egg  and add to apple
mixture.  mix flour and spices in a separate bowl then add to apple mixture.  stir in the nuts until
blended.  grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.  bake at 350 degrees for 45-40 minutes.  when cooled sprinkle top with confectionary sugar.  serve with ice cream. 

love sent, xo