I am thankful for...
1. Tammy being here to spend Thanksgiving with us
2. being able to see an amazing couple get married and help capture their day for them
3. turkey dinner - it is my favorite and it was so good.
4. Tammy's broccoli and cauliflower casserole that was perfect and tasted delish!
5. the extra side of that is in the freezer for Michael and I to enjoy later
6. the turkey turning out perfect this year
7. a decorated tree - that Tammy helped us put up
8. a fabulous day at Arches National Park
9. getting a chance to dance with my love
"I learned that sometimes stopping is the key
to going. Letting go is the key to becoming. Breathing is the key to
living. (Literally and metaphorically.) And, celebrating where you are
right now is the key to happiness." From Tiny Buddha -The Difference Between Fulfillment and Achievement
I am not a big country fan, but this is the song Michael and I danced to at a wedding this past weekend. Oddly enough I do know all the lyrics to it though - as every time Michael and I have heard it we look to each other and sing. The lyrics really do fit us good though. As we both get that look on our face where....we are amazed by each other. We see the love give our world new colors daily.
Lyrics - Amazed by Lonestar
Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Oh it feels like the first time every time
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
Every little thing that you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Oh, every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
Goulash with Potato Dumplings - the dinner I mention in my post
I am thankful... 1. fir Michael doing the job he
does and doing it with compassion. He has a job of service that not
everyone could do and he gives it his all helping those that feel there
is no more hope left in the world for them. He gives so completely to
each person...never giving up until there is no stone unturned. In the
end I know even if it doesn't always turn out in the ways he and the
person want - the person knows they had someone really fighting for
them, looking out for them, and it makes all the difference in their
world. I am so proud him and the work he does. I love you Michael! 2. for dinner turning out on Saturday. I made a new recipe
and it turned out pretty good. (recipe to come a little later) 3. for it being a good Saturday....lots
of movie watching with Michael and relaxing after just a few little
chores. 4. for Creative Live and Sal Cincotta for doing the Wedding Photography Boot Camp. Sal and Taylor Cincotta are amazing and so generous with their knowledge and time. Although it is an area I am not wanting to go, it was still very interesting and useful as Michael and I were asked to do video and now are doing video and photography for his cousin's wedding. Thankfully we also will be joined by our friend Tammy from Chicago and she will be doing the main photography with us doing backup photography and all of the video. 5.for those who currently serve
and have served in the military. As the President said to truly
honor them we must do more. I believe we never do enough for those that
serve and their families and they do deserve our gratitude not only
in words, but actions 6. for getting quite a bit accomplished this week 7. for mid-day dates with my love on Wednesday. We have had a
super busy week, but decided to take a little us time. It was well
needed and worth it.
I liked Twilight series and can't wait to see the movies. It is geared for young adults, but I was one of the many adults that enjoyed it. I was worried Meyers wouldn't really capture an adult audience, but this story and how it is told is an amazing read. If you weren't a fan of Twilight I say still pick this up, because this was such a better story than Twilight. This book just pulled me and captured my attention on so many levels for me.
I read this book in two nights. I probably could have finished it in one night if I had started it a little earlier in the evening. It was a little slow and hard to follow at first, but then I was sucked into the story and didn't want to put it down. It made me laugh, cry and really feel for all the characters.
Wanderer is kind and smart. She is emotionally and mentally strong. With a big heart...she doesn't want to hurt anyone. She thinks of others first. While she was the character that I liked the most, there are other characters great characters. Melanie is strong and tough - both physically and emotionally. She is most like the average human. If in the same situation they would act like her. Ian was another character I enjoyed also- almost more then any of the other males. He was able to see what the group was doing to Wanda. He changed and saw beyond the human's fears.
I felt the characters were developed well. They suffer and their core ethics and morality are tested, but provide emotional release and show those better parts of ourselves. Love conquers all --- even across species. That isn't exactly a new theme, but Meyer really tells great story bringing the situation to life - transporting us through it.
Thanksgiving is almost here and one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers is making Turkey Tetrazzini.
Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (I did mixture of yellow, green and red)
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, vegetable oil or butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups white button mushrooms, ends trimmed, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1 3/4 cups half and half
12 ounces spaghetti noodles
1 pound cubed or bite-size roast turkey
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 cups potato chips, crushed
Directions
Saute the onions and bell peppers in olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the mushrooms, spices, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and have released their liquid, about 6 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and chicken stock and cook, stirring, until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the half and half and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and very flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti noodles until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Spray a 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
When the sauce has thickened, add the noodles, turkey, and Parmesan to the skillet and stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer to the prepared casserole and top with the potato chips. Bake uncovered until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 8.
Tammy gave me the last 2 books to The Hunger Games trilogy for my birthday. This is a song that was in the movie. I loved the books and the movie. I can't wait for the last 2 movies.
Danielle LaPorte is launching a new project - The Desire Map. I can't wait to read, join, jump and be a part of it when it comes out. But here is a video poem by her. It is hitting many things I am working on and have been working for a long time. Looks like it is going to be very interesting and very helpful.
I am thankful... 1. for a beautiful day - Saturday. We took a day trip with friends to Moab and had a very nice time with them last weekend 2. that one of my Grandma's is about to be settled in closer to family 3. for all those that came before me to fight for our
civil rights and made it possible for me express my beliefs through
the voting process 4. that President Obama won 5. for the potato soup that simmered in the crockpot on Tuesday and made the house smell so good 6. for hot tea warming me
up when I feel so cold today 7.for finding I had $20 left
on an Amazon gift card, so I could order a few more books on my wishlist 8.for the resellers on Amazon so that I don't feel I am
chopping down another tree with the 5 books I ordered 9. for having power. I have done
laundry, used the microwave, the dishwasher, and the bread machine. Thankful we have power to all
the appliances that we use everyday such as the fridge, computers and
chargers for all the various devices. I am thinking of friends today in
NJ who don't have power and hoping they get their power back soon. 10. for the many cheerleaders I have in my life
that cheer me on for things that I do in my life and things that are
coming. You all give me so much help in being able to go forward
confidently!
"If we spent one third of the energy that we spend on chasing
happiness…on getting better at being in pain…our experience of being
alive would dramatically expand." Chela Davison from a blog post on Pain: A Love Story
I collected this quote recently that I really need to read often....
"The point is that our true nature is not some
ideal that we have to live up to. It's who we are right now, and that's
what we can make friends with and celebrate." Pema Chordon
I am thankful for.... 1. I am thankful for
donating some items that we had hanging around here that might help
families in need 2. naps 3. homemade milk shake in the middle of the
day 4. good doctor visits this past week the hopefully make me on the
road to less pain 5. breakfast for dinner 6. hot tea 7. library books
I like Marianne Williamson. I have for many years. I have the Course in Miracles which she wrote a book based on that practice. I also have her prayer book. Now she is getting involved in politics - in getting women involved specifically. She has some interesting things on her new website Sister Giant and really enjoyed listening to this video she posted there too.
One thing I hear people complaining about is Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) for the elections. But so many of the things I see people saying aren't accurate. I wish people would actually read the facts of it. It can be confusing, but it is just sad that so many things that people say it will do - it won't. Such as having the government tell you what drugs you can and can't have - it won't do that. It is up to your doctor what drugs you can and can't have - as it always has been well...except when insurance companies say no. I have had that happen in the past. See that is what I don't get many things that people are saying are going to happen - insurance companies already do, continue to do, and have been for all of my life.
Something I keep reading is how people are upset that their health insurance is going up or things that were covered aren't anymore...so I thought I would share my personal history with health insurance because for as long as I can remember it has been that way...and it is the insurance companies doing it not the government. Not President Obama since for the majority of my health insurance coverage was before he was President.
As a child I was of course covered by my parents insurance, I do remember when we moved to Omaha my Mom asked around about doctors and found us a doctor several people recommended. We really liked this doctor, but one year Dad's health insurance changed and the insurance company would only let us see someone on "their list." I remember both my parents being upset about this, but we did it. We found a doctor we liked that wasn't too far from our home. I know the price went up - on and off throughout the years too.
When I was married to my ex-husband, he had a good job with good insurance. But again you had to choose a doctor off the list. I wanted to see a woman doctor and they had 2 women on the list - that is all. I ended up on a waiting list for one of the female doctors. I remember having the insurance say they wouldn't pay for certain meds or procedures. I remember one year the monthly price doubled for him and it tripled in price to cover me. Another year all our co-pays changed - where regular gp doctor visits were a different co-pay then seeing a specialty and doing our labs.
Michael's insurance when he worked for an state organization was really actually horrible. His co-pays for regular gp doctor visits were him paying 80% out of pocket. And the insurance only covering 20%. Even though he paid a lot of money each month into it. During his time with that organization, the insurance went up several times. His co-pays totally switched around and again he had meds denied by the insurance company even though it was what the doctor wanted.
Since I divorced, I haven't had health insurance really. Well, I had it once for a while, but it was so expensive and it didn't cover my asthma or migraines. Right now Michael and I don't have health insurance for the same reason. We are denied a lot because of our pre-existing conditions or they will give us health insurance, but won't cover the pre-existing conditions ever or for a set period of time without incident of the condition. So I have asthma if I go without an asthma attack in 2 years or 3 or whatever set amount of time then they will start covering it. So really I won't get it covered because although I have went a long time without an asthma problem - the older I get the more likely I am to have problems again. Migraines I don't go without - I have them anywhere from 5 to 15 days a month. So not like that will be something they will cover ever. Well now they have to though with Obamacare. So I am thankful I might have some insurance and coverage so that medical costs won't drained our bank account.
Health insurance businesses are in it to get money and they can't get money if they are paying for all of our medical costs so of course throughout history they have raised our premiums, co-pays, denied coverage for procedures, doctors, meds and so on. Not sure why...it is okay to blame President Obama for them when they have been doing that as long as I have been alive.
I always enjoy Kelly Rae Roberts blog and her art of course too! But I really liked this entry from the other day.... "..that the people we choose to live significant parts of our lives with are the exact people that can help us heal something in ourselves - old wounds, new wounds, all of it. In this sense, we really are just walking each other home. Home
as in healing. Home as in the best versions of ourselves. Home as in wholeness. Home as in our divinity." Kelly Rae Roberts
I am thankful for...
1. being able to come home and get in bed after having some long days this week.
2. getting a chance to talk to my Mom after playing phone tag for the last few days
3. seeing the leaves blow in the wind and sunshine making them sparkle on Tuesday,
4. the cool fall day which left lots of leaves that crinkled when you walked across them making it feel like autumn on Wednesday
5. playing with my new camera and taking photos of leaves with Michael
6. the book The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown for being amazing...eye opening,
7. my therapist who again amazes me by helping me see the big picture and navigate through it
8. Michael going to the dentist and being brave! He got a wisdom tooth pulled that was decaying all the way down to the nerve.
9. Michael always being there for me
* I did some gratitude posts on Facebook this week and so these are little snippets from them
If you read my posts on Facebook - things I like or repost - you can tell who I am clearly voting for this election. I don't think any politician ever does or says everything I want them to do. I am not totally happy with President Obama. But I do feel the President is more representative of the man I want in the White House when I lo
ok at his record. Romney scares me - he has held a man down, beat him and cut his hair and his views on women rights would take us backwards instead of forward. I want many people who are close to me to have equality - and be able to get married and I know Romney is against Gays/Lesbians. I want more support of Veterans and Romney again hardly ever mentions then except clumping them into the 47% but never clearly on what he would do for them. Really everything thing I care about Romney is against or flip flops back and forth on. I can't trust anything he says. At least I see where the President has said and done some of the things he said he would. Not all and not all completely in a way I would like but at least I see a clearer message and record. So I am voting for President Obama.
Had a fabulous weekend out doing a day trip with friends to Glenwood Springs. They went to the Hot Spring Pools for a while and Michael and I just took a drive. Met up again with our friends for lunch and then headed back to GJ. Perfect blue skies and with just a little chill in the air but in the sun it warmed us up quickly. It was an absolutely beautiful day.
Today my last birthday present from Michael arrived. I got a little point and shoot camera. So cute and has all the features I wanting plus it is Orange! I can't wait to start playing with it. I am getting a book and I know will inspire me to play even more.
I am thankful for...
1. a beautiful day for my birthday
2. fun presents from friends and family
3. dinner at a place we haven't been in ages and it was amazing
4. a new bed
5. Michael making my day special!
I am thankful for...
1. warm blankets
2. a stack of good books
3. comfort food
4. points from various places I input - to get free gift cards
5. sunshine
I am thankful for...
1. Michael being busy - work is coming in good right now and just so thankful
2. making a therapy appointment and going....I should have done it a while ago as it was long over due
3. the appointment making me feel 200% better - cleared some things out I really needed too
4. seeing some positives
5. making it through the week
I made these last year around the holidays, but want to make them again around Halloween or Thanksgiving. These would be great to bring to a party or get together.
They were good and not to hard to make either. The dipping sauce I had trouble with though. And I did modify the original recipe from Kraft a bit as I have worked with wontons before and didn't feel there was a need for the egg white that Kraft had in their recipe. I also used more wonton wrappers, but kept their number in the recipe too.
12 caramels
1 tsp. water
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. flour
1/4 tsp. orange zest
20-24 won ton wrappers and water to seal edges
2 cups oil
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
MICROWAVE caramels and water in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; stir. Heat for another 30 sec. Stir until caramels are completely melted.Cool 2 min. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Refrigerate until ready to use.
WHISK cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, flour, zest and remaining cinnamon until well blended. Spoon about 2 tsp. onto center of each won ton wrapper. Moisten edges with water; fold diagonally in half. Moisten edges again with water pressing edges together tightly to seal.
HEAT oil in large saucepan on medium-high heat to 350ºF. Add won tons, in batches; cook 2 to 3 min. or until evenly browned. Drain. Cool slightly or to room temperature. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with caramel sauce
MAKE AHEAD
Cook won tons as directed except don't sprinkle with powdered sugar. Freeze up to 2 months. When ready to reheat, place frozen won tons on baking sheet. (No need to thaw first.) Bake at 350°F for 15 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
COOKING NOTES
* Won ton wrappers quickly dry out, keep them covered with a damp clean kitchen towel until you are ready to use them.
* I found the dip didn't go quite smoothly but it might have been because I didn't use Kraft caramels. When I mixed it into the sour cream, it hardened right away because the sour cream was cool so cooled the caramel. There were clumps of caramel in the dip. So it didn't exactly go as directed. I think next time I would use like caramel you use for ice cream topping. I think it would mix more smoothly after being heated for a few moments.
I am thankful for...
1. seeing friends and family on our trip - so happy that we got to see so many people we love
2. staying at nicest hotel in Norfolk, Nebraska - really beautiful spacious room with lots of amenities
3. getting a chance to go Field of Dreams in Iowa with Tammy
4. sunshine and blue skies on our trip
5. being home - after being gone so long it is nice to be home even though we had a wonderful time with friends and family.
I listen to Pandora when I clean. I have an Adele channel and they play this song often...good thing I like it. I listen to either my Adele channel while I clean or my Abba channel. Abba is always great to clean to because it really makes me move!
I am thankful for...
1. spending time with my parents, my sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew....had such a nice time with them
2. getting to take a ton of photos of my niece Chloe
3. seeing friends - Michael worked with a young lady that died 6 years ago and we were able to see her parents. Had such a nice time with them and just thankful to be able to help them out with a website for their foundation in their daughter's name.
4. the Create angel my Mom gave me. It is a Kelly Rae Robert's work and just so pretty
5. meeting up with Tammy here in Davenport...looking forward to having the weekend with her - taking photos and hanging out
Something you can't get in Colorado is Godfather's Pizza. It is Michael's favorite pizza. I grew up with Godfather's Pizza in Omaha. So I really like it too. It was the place to go after football games in high school so I associate Godfather's with some good memories from my youth.
When we travel we always look to see if we will be through towns with Godfather's Pizza. On the way to my sister's right about dinner time we were going through Sioux City which had a Godfather's so we stopped and grabbed a pizza and then went and parked on a country road and watched the sunset. It was a beautiful sunset to watch with my love while we had pizza. Maybe kind of silly but these kind of things make the best memories. I know I will remember our whole day as it was a trip through Nebraska - all the back roads. Seeing lots of little towns and pretty country. Not just flat boring interstate. We had great conversations and just enjoyed our time together.
Now looking forward to time with my sister and her family and my parents too as they decided to come down and see Michael and I too!
I am thankful for..
1. staying in such a great hotel room in Denver...made me feel spoiled
2. seeing my love speak at a conference and ROCK!
3. seeing family and friends in Denver
4. seeing my sister and her family soon
5. school supplies on clearance at Target
* We have been traveling quite a bit - just day trips or a few days here and there. But soon we will be taking a longer trip. We will be going to see my sister and her family. After a few days with her, we will go do a work project and then after the work is done, we will spend the weekend with Tammy as we will be in her neck of the woods. We see her again in November. She will be spending Thanksgiving with us.
* I have my follow up for my doctor coming up this week - for the sciatica. He did a treatment of cortisone that lasted 10 hours. Then he prescribed a pill that was for 5 days, but my doctor and my pharmacist were really at odds with each other on the drug. After taking this drug and seeing how I reacted, he will know better how to treat me. The drug worked great except for upsetting my stomach just a little bit which was the pharmacist concern. But the positive of the drug it brought my pain down to zero on a pain scale and the most it would go up to is a 3. It still even almost a week after it has been done hasn't brought my pain back up to where it was before (a 7 was pretty much my daily consistent pain level).
* Yesterday we did yard work. Both of us are not fans of it. I have bad allergies that really just cause me to be miserable because I would love to have some of a garden, but just can't keep up with it. And it isn't fair for it to fall to Michael when he dislikes yard work. This was icky yard work we had to do yesterday - pulling weeds. We have rock landscaping, but weeds come up in them and with my sciatica being as bad as it has been there has been no way I could do it before now. It was hard to do it yesterday. Michael ended up doing the backbreaking stuff. We had put it off until we couldn't any longer.
* The first of February is our anniversary, but the 1st of every month for the last 9 years Michael says Happy Anniversary. We laughed that our morning was spent doing yard work - fun fun! But really I am thankful that we can have of course lots of fun together, but also make things we don't like doing go a little faster and better by doing them together. We can laugh and have fun even when pulling weeds.
* We were out of town recently and when we arrived back in town we decided to get some errands out of the way before heading home. One thing was to go to the library as I figured I had some book waiting for me. I came with a HUGE pile. Michael shouted from the car on my way out of the library carrying the huge pile of books that I didn't need to check whole library out. The lady in front of me got a chuckle. But the sad thing is that huge pile of books I only have like 3 left to read as I am going through a book a day still. I got through the Anita Blake series. All caught up again...I had been 3 books behind, but reread the entire series.
I am thankful for...
1. an upcoming trip
2. old memories - today marks a day in my life that I know I will always look back on every year no matter how much time goes past.
3. the kitty cats
4. Tammy - Love you!
5. lip balm
I picked this book up at the library and well that was a mistake - a good mistake. Because it made me want to go out and purchase the book right away so I would have time to fall into it the way I wanted...from the moment of reading the first pages I knew it was a book I need to have available in my studio/home always. It is a book for exploring and that takes time...longer then just having a couple weeks of it checked out at the library. But I am so glad I picked it up there so I knew without a doubt this is a good book and will be deeply personal but playful and fun. I can't wait to buy it and jump into ready to explore myself in a different way. Thank you Liz Lamoreux for creating such a lovely book.
I am really stuck. I am scared of creating. This book is what I needed to read right in this moment. Working through some of the exercise has helped me pinpoint some of the fears and I believe will help me start moving forward. I checked this book out of the library, but have put it on my wishlist as I do think it would be a good book to have when needing when having doubts, insecurities and just being blocked in general.
1. my beautiful sister...it is her birthday tomorrow. Love you Michelle!
2. being able to do some day trips.
3. Kathie sending the cutest card at the beginning of the month. I was going through a stack of stuff I wanted to put in my studio and the card was in there. Hanging it on my bulletin board. Thank you Kathie!
I love this book! I checked it out from the library and can't wait to purchase it. It is a must have for artists who want to use safer, nontoxic, greener materials in their art. It is divided into 4 chapters/sections...
* Greening your Studio: talking about product safety and just being safe in the studio, green paints, mediums, canvas and such
*Green Recipes: making paints, paint recipes and adhesive recipes
* Green Projects: bookmaking, paper-mache, using found objects and other green projects
* Green Artist Gallery - info about each artist in the gallery and examples of their green art, it also has a resource guide
Each section had such great information. Often much of the information was things I didn't know, recipes that I could make right now in my kitchen without much effort, projects and inspiration that made me want to create right away.
The book itself is so lovely to look at just thumbing through it. But it is just so full of good information for artist who want to start using green in their studio. You might be able to find all the info online, but I would much rather have it in my studio and use because it just a great book.
I made BLT Pasta for dinner last night. It was really good...great flavors going on in this dish. I found this recipe via Pinterest of course, but I modified it slightly. So here is my version... BLT Pasta
6 strips bacon, diced 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 1 teaspoon sugar 3/4 cup leeks, thinly sliced 1/2 cup dry white wine 3/4 cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 9 oz dry spaghetti noodles 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves Garlic Croutons - made mine but store bought would work Directions Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Saute the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until crisp, then set aside on paper towel. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings, and drain off remaining oil. Caramelize the tomatoes and sugar in the bacon drippings in large and deep skillet or sauce pan, over medium heat. Cook until tomatoes begin to soften and brown, approximately 3 minutes. Add the leeks and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until leeks soften. Deglaze with wine and allow sauce to simmer until the wine is nearly evaporated and sauce is thick. Add the broth, vinegar, and pepper flakes. Simmer until reduced by 1/3, approximately 5 minutes. Add the spinach, and bacon to the sauce, then add the cooked pasta. Toss lightly until pasta is well coated with sauce and tomato mixture is incorporated. Season with salt as needed. Top each serving with garlic croutons. Makes 4 servings.
NOTES:
* Although I think deglazing always makes flavor more deep - I think in this recipe the caramelizing the tomatoes really adds flavor. So if you don't want to deglaze - you could up the chicken broth just a bit and skip the deglazing step.
* I think next time I will be adding more spinach. Maybe 3 cups as I don't feel there was enough for spinach for us.
I am thankful for...
1. Michael knowing the way to my heart is through a good book. He got me Hunger Games.
2. BLT Pasta for dinner - a new recipe I tried and it was really yummy!
3. three friends who had birthdays this week - I am very thankful for each of them. I hope they had wonderful birthdays.
4. seeing lots of wildlife on our way back from Craig yesterday
5. getting a chance to listen to a webinar with Dr. Brene Brown
I am thankful for..
1. getting to see old friends this week
2. having Pablo's Pizza - it is a little local place that has such great pizza
3. laundry being done - washed, dried, folded and put away. Laundry is one of my least favorite chorese
4. being able to find bits and pieces in the pantry that can make up a good meal since I haven't went to grocery store in a while
5. getting to see Airforce One and also see the President wave
Another Tiny Buddha that helped me recently...they always seems to post things I need to hear right in the moment.
4 Tips for Mindfulness when Life is stressful and painful....
1. Realize thoughts are not necessarily reality.
2. Use breathing to center you in the now.
3. Stop comparing now to then.
4. Focus on the happy moments.
I am thankful for..
1. a great little trip with Michael
2. beautiful scenery - places I haven't ever been and old places revisited
3. the Olympics - seeing such amazing people with courage and strength at this time in my life when I am in such pain always gives me hope and perseverance to push through it.
4. getting a chance to have brunch with Michael's parents
5. coming home - after being away coming home always feels so good
These questions are from a post on Tiny Buddha: WHEN IT FEELS TOO HARD TO KEEP TRYING: REST OR PUSH HARDER? The whole article is good, but just wanted to make note of these questions....as those were what helped me recently on an issue.
The Rest or Push Checklist: Is this goal in line with my anchors (primary values)? If I need to neglect other anchors, is that just temporary while I focus on this goal? Can the other anchors recover from this temporary neglect?If I quit now, will I regret it? If you answered “Yes” to the above four questions, it may be time to push. Am I feeling depressed or depleted?Have others expressed concern for my well-being? Can I continue with this goal in the near future without losing significant gains? Has this goal served to distract me from other difficult tasks (such as dealing with relational conflict, making improvements to a situation, feeling painful emotions)? If you answered “Yes” to those four questions, it’s probably time to rest.
U2 is my favorite. I started listening to them in high school I think and they still are my favorite. I am lucky that I got to see them in concert 2 times. Once on my birthday. It was a very special birthday gift and it is a good memory for me.
I am thankful for...
1. Michael being here for me when I am in such pain and having such a hard time.
2. good friends that send me notes and call just when I am needing to hear a cheerful voice
3. old voice mail messages from friends that I replay every so often that make me smile...so glad I kept them
4. books to help me get through this pain cycle
5. crayons and coloring books
This month has been hard on me. Really hard. I will be glad when August gets here.
The end of May my sciatica came back and it is just getting worse and worse. To the point that this month - I can't stand or sit very long. Laying down seems to give me the most relief at this time, but still is very painful and have to readjust positions often.
Because I am in such pain, I am falling behind on things around the house and other things such as working on my website and doing art. But I have been reading like a mad-woman. I am going through a book in a day or two. My library requests aren't keeping up with me so in between waiting for them - I am rereading the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I have most of them so keep pulling them off the shelf in between my library books. I am almost to the point in the series where I stop liking the series.
I am also reading the Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning and going to reread her Fever series after the Highlander series. If you haven't read anything by Karen Marie Moning and like bodice ripper type books - read her.
Books are the only thing keeping me from drowning right now. When I am in this kind of pain cycle, it starts to bring me down. My depression starts weighing on me and I feel myself sinking into it. I get why. I understand it logically but trying to fight it has nothing to do with logic. It has nothing to do with even seeing it happening - even though recognizing it is good so I can see I need to fight it. It is just hard and tiring. Books though have become the only thing that keeps my mind from sinking into it.
So that is where things are at the moment. I just thought I would try to get a life update posted so that people didn't think I fell off the earth.
I want to make something like this...could get cake pans from the Dollar Tree. Just not sure on the candle sticks. Maybe check Big Lots for candles sticks.
My can opener is one of those that takes the lip off and leaves a sharp edge. Maybe taping the edge so it covers the sharp edge. After taping, using paper around them to decorate.
I always see these at the Thrift Store and Habitat for Humanity. They always look grungy but sanding and painting would make it look a little more spiffy.
1. snail mail from friends. I have received lots of it lately and it always makes me smile. I just reread a letter I got earlier in the summer from a friend and it made me cry again as her words were just so amazing. Really made me feel blessed for having such an amazing person in my life.
2. Finding a site that offers free online classes from top Universities: Courseca
3. Outlander is going to be made into a TV show. We don't even watch that much tv as we don't have cable, but hopefully it will be released on DVD so I can get it through the library or netflix.
4. Reading an amazing book about using green materials in art by Karen Michel
“There comes a point when you just love someone. Not because they're good, or bad, or anything really. You just love them. It doesn't mean you'll be together forever. It doesn't mean you won't hurt each other. It just mean you love them. Sometimes in spite of who they are, and sometimes because of who they are. And you know that they love you, sometimes because of who you are, and sometimes in spite of it.” ― Laurell K. Hamilton, Incubus Dreams
Just really beautiful words that capture the feeling of being home. I really like Tyler Knott Gregson's work. Everything I read just touches me and says "yes" to the feelings and thoughts that go through me. Here is one I shared with Michael tonight that he enjoyed just as much as I did - gave us both that feeling of knowing the words.
I thankful for...
1. safe trip to Denver
2. getting to spend tomorrow with a great couple
3. spending time with Michael's parents
4. water on a hot summer day
5. having good friends who listen to things I need to vent about and just share
6. Michael getting really good compliments about work he did - I am very proud of him
I know that people sometimes say things that we can take wrong. But I feel most of the time it is our own internal negative messages that start playing and interpreting what was said in a totally different meaning. I still hear things that weren't actually said, but I know I have gotten better with it and shutting down negative processing because of Byron Katie's The Work.
I ask myself the 4 questions of The Work.... 1. Is it true? 2. Can you absolutely know that it's true? 3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought? 4. Who would you be without the thought?
I think when you first start doing the work, doing all the questions and the turnabout really help in rewiring those negative thoughts that come with what we hear verses what was actually said. After doing this for a bit though, I can say to myself when the tapes start playing - Is it true? And really with that I can shut them down. But before I always created loop holes and so those other questions and the turnabout were important to help me in processing.
Really people can mean something one way and say it another. So how we do take it can be accurate but really that is their problem - they have an issue then to work through so still by doing the work I ask if it is true and let it go.
So either way The Work - works for me to help process my own negative tapes and acknowledge the present moment.
As someone that lives with pain everyday, it gets hard to hang on and be strong all the time. So yes I know that feeling. I know what is like to just keep having to hang on even though I putting so much into something. It is hard to hang on when feeling so tired and hurting so much. I know that some days it is hard to think rinse and repeat this again tomorrow and the day after but not get any further - so tears come.
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