early morning peace

Blue Monday - a walk in the park

2009-11-09T09:40:00.001-05:00

Oh how glorious it is to walk in the park and see the gifts given to us each and everyday with such little demands.

Sometimes we have to just stop, be still, and see the beauty in nature. Turn your face to the sun and feel it caressing your skin. Understanding how or why is not important, just be in the moment.

Blue Monday is hosted by Smiling Sally. Visit her blog to see what other participants have to offer. It's fun!

Blog-4-Cause

2009-11-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

Blog-4-Cause is an amazing e-book compiled by Joanna Sutter from Fitness & Spice and Lance Ekum from Jungle of Life. It consists of a collection of more than 150 bloggers from around the world writing and racing for a the cure.

Lance explains:
"Every one of these writers has contributed a favorite article to this e-book, creating a wonderful collection of stories. Stories of inspiration, personal growth, fitness, food, humor, and more.

Please visit the Susan G. Komen Blog-4-Cause website to learn how you can support the mission to end breast cancer. In addition, you'll find information on how to recieve this Blog-4-Cause E-book, our gift to you. A bonus e-book, from author and life coach Tim Brownson, is included as well."

I am excited to have been one of the bloggers to participate in this great cause (check out page 176), I hope you too will join me and many others in the race for a cure, because there is strength in numbers!

It's Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:21:00.001-04:00

He does not like wearing costumes so we resort to face painting. He is Rintoo from Kai Lan, a tiger.

I remember when I was growing up in New Jersey how the streets would become flooded with kids on Halloween. It was such an amazing night for us kids. We usually had to rely on our imagination for our costumes. I remember once I was a gypsy woman. We found an old, long skirt in someone's closet, I had a bandana around my head and really red lipstick. That is probably my most memorable Holloween because it snowed about a foot of snow that night and I got separated from my group which was really scary for me at the time. I was no more than two blocks from my house, but I did not speak English, this celebration was new to me and it was dark outside. We were reunited and all was well.

I sit here writing because things are really slow in my neighborhood. Part of the fun is decorating the house and the yard, carving pumpkins with neat patterns, seeing all the creative costumes on the happy little children and giving away all the candy and toys in my basket. We used to sit outside and just wait for the crowds to come from the neighboring communities.

She is a Gothic Princess.

Tonight is very quiet. My oldest is away at college and he was the one who used to sit by and scare the older kids by making believe he was a statue. My teen girl is at a concert with friends - she's all dressed up and having a great time I'm sure. My 7 year old is out having fun with a few of the teens from the neighborhood and the toddler is here trying to eat the candy and blow out the candles from the jack-o-lantern. Since I sat here, about an hour ago, we've seen a total of 5 families.

Needless to say, that leaves me staring at the weary moon and listening to spooky music so I decided to share this time with everyone out there.

Most of the houses are very dark around here tonight but we will continue to have a great time until the last child has come by. I hope everyone out there has a great time tonight. Stay safe!!

This is my teen daughters intricate creation, which is a little hard to see but on the back side she carved out the words Trick or Treat with a pumpkin and on the front side there are two hearts. If you put it against a wall you see the reflection of the back side on the wall. Very detailed.

The beauty of the day

2009-10-25T05:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we all just get caught up in the stresses of everyday life. We run errands, we work, we take care of the kids and the house, etc. In the process, we could potentially miss entire seasons during a time when we should just be thankful.

Lately I've been taking time to stop and smell the firewood burning. It's not as cold as I am used to for a fall season but still some people are lighting up fires indoors and out. I love the smell of firewood in the fall. This changing season offers not just the smoke coming out of the chimneys but also the colors, a brisk cool air, the beauty of the day. It is just amazing that we could even let ourselves miss all this.

I decided I would go for a walk in the evenings with a my neighbor Maria. So just before sunset and after dinner, baby in the stroller and the girls on their bikes, we set off on a 2.5 mile walk around the neighborhood, or a 5 mile walk through the park. It has been absolutely amazing, relaxing, and spiritual to take in nothing but the sounds of the birds and the sounds of children laughing.

Sometimes we just have to say Thanks because we have the ability to experience such beauty in our lives.

Enjoy the beauty of the day, everyday!

SkyWatch Friday - A Full Moon

2009-10-15T22:41:00.000-04:00

"Life is wonderful..." ~ Jason Mraz

Go visit SkyWatch Friday for more skies from around the world!!

A full moon in October.

I love the sky, in particular, when there are objects I can recognize. This is one of my favorite night time skies of the full moon. I'm amazed my little camera could actually capture that.

Enjoy.

Outdoor Wednesday - Autumn

2009-10-14T08:26:00.000-04:00

"Life is wonderful..." ~ Jason Mraz

Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan from a Southern Daydreamer. Visit Susan to experience outdoors from a different perspective.

I look forward to the beauty of the season, but mostly to the delicious recipes we can make in a crockpot, Yum!!

I took the kids to the harvest fair and although it was a lot of fun and they had a great time, I was a little sad because growing up, I did not have to wait to be taken to a fair to experience harvest or to see farm animals live. I think I'm going to take my kids to local farms more often throughout the year. I loved the look on their faces when they see and touch a real cow or chicken or a donkey. It was fun, enjoy!

I love this picture :-)

About Wine - Wine Storage and a new favorite white wine

2009-10-03T20:30:00.001-04:00

Photo in the cellar by filtran

Check out this awesome article about wine storage from Neil from ON THE GRAPEVINE. He is so knowledgeable about wine and the care of wine that I think you will all enjoy this article.

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By far most wine is purchased and consumed within 48 hours. Some people of course like to cellar wine they think has a good potential to age. This is fraught with “danger” mainly because some wine has no chance at all of improving with age, some can be left too long and goes “over the hill” and some spoils because of bad storage conditions. (I usually end up with red or white wine vinegar not even good for cooking!)

Aging wine increases its complexity. Chemical reactions take place on storage which can add new aromas, flavours and texture to the wine. And of course there is the inevitable colour change. However, if left too long, all these changes can be indistinguishable. Briefly as discussed before, white wines change to deeper colours, some to deep yellow or gold and eventually brown. (This was a learning experience, wish I had know this a few months ago.)

Aromas and flavours lose their varietal character and become similar to toast, honey figs, nuts and caramel. Red wines change colour too as they age from purple through brick red to red brown and finally brown. Again with reds, flavours change taking on the impressions of earthiness, fungi, coffee and even cigars. Red wine tannins increase in size on ageing and become softer and less astringent allowing other subtle flavour changes to shine through.

For most of us who store wine, it is kept in racks or boxes in the cellar, under the house, in a cupboard or even under the bed. Very few of us have proper temperature controlled rooms or expensive cabinets. Ideal conditions for storage of wine are darkness, good ventilation, odour free, lack of vibration, minimal temperature variation of 12°-15°C (55°-60°F) and humidity of 70-80%.

Obviously not many of us can comply with all these conditions so if we were to single any major one out to be aware of I would say it would be temperature fluctuation. Darkness can easily be created by leaving the wine in its original boxes.

In the past, table wines needed to be stored lying down. This kept the cork wet and the bottle well sealed. With the advent of the screw cap bottles with this closure can be stored standing up, one of its many advantages. For bottles with cork closures it is important to keep an eye on possible leakage and the ullage level. This means if the level of the wine falls below the shoulder of the bottle it needs to be topped up and recorked (if still ok) or better drunk as soon as possible.

Arranging bottles so those for early drinking are easily accessible prevents ‘long termers’ from being continually moved and disturbed.

Buying wine for long term storage is a complex issue. (and this is why I buy, I drink, done!) It is sometimes best to take the advice of wine merchants, winemakers and wine reviews when deciding what to ‘lay down’. Of course it is more rewarding to assess a young wine as to its ageing potential yourself and being able to enjoy it 10, 20 or maybe 30 years down the track.

It is also preferable to be able to buy a case of the selected wine and assess its progress regularly over time eg. for a red, five years after purchase then every year or two.

This all can be an expensive exercise so there is nothing wrong with splurging on an aged wine from a retailer or winery when the occasion calls. At least you can be almost assured that the bottle has been stored under ultimate conditions and if indeed there is anything wrong with it you can usually get a replacement. ...( and that's what I do... buy already aged wine - lazy or practical, call it what you want!)

So tonight I was enjoying some fun time with my friend from Chesapeake and we decided to take a quick trip to Trader Joe's and found, yet another delicious Australian Wine. It is a "classic Muscat with fragrant aromas of apricots, mangoes and lilacs and sweet, luscious flavors balanced by a crisp, refreshing finish."

A white wine from South Easter Australia called Alice White. It's like a dessert wine, goes well with any sweets or by itself. We loved it and we paid ...ahem... $5.00. Now that's what I'm talking about.

Enjoy the tips on wine storage and enjoy Alice White!

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Past about wine articles:

In the beginning

Wine Tasting

The making of wine

Foodie Friday - Cheesy Nachos

2009-10-02T10:06:00.000-04:00

Today I bring an easy special treat for our Foodie Friday recipe show off day. This fun event is hosted by Michael from Designs by Gollum. You have to go there and see all the cool recipes everyone posted.

These nachos we love because they are easy to make and so much fun to eat. If you keep the ingredients handy you can make a nice treat for unexpected company or hey, how about Monday night football!

Ingredients:

Tostitos scoop chips - they are perfect for holding in all cheese and salsa!

Tostitos restaurant style salsa - how hot you say? Your choice, we always do mild.

Shredded Mexican cheese or any mix of cheese you like.

Directions:

Place the scoop chips on a microwave safe plate.

Fill each little scoop with salsa.

Top with cheese.

Microwave on high for 1 to 1.5 minutes - until cheese is melted.

Top each scoop with a dab of sour cream and diced avocado (optional).

Note: you can also broil this using an oven safe plate or cookie sheet, put it in the middle rack, set the over to broil and watch it until cheese is melted; only takes about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!!

No really..... Enjoy!!

Outdoor Wednesday- Glass & Wine

2009-09-29T21:56:00.000-04:00

A nice song and good motto to live by "Life is wonderful..." ~ Jason Mraz

Outdoor Wednesday is a fun day for us to celebrate what nature has to offer and anything outdoors; hosted by Susan from A Southern Daydreamer. Visit Susan to see what others have posted.

For my outdoor Wednesday I will be sharing with you my series of events which started with my husband leaving for Cuba and things suddenly breaking down around me. What the heck?!? All is well while he was home for 30 days just puttering around and the minute he leaves stuff happens. But it's OK. I'm doing my thing to manage the stress that comes with all that.

Here it goes...

He's already to leave but decides to got to the gym where someone hit his Harley, knocked it over and caused some damage. Guess whose taking care of those little details...ME!

There goes the bike to the Harley-Davidson shop.

With the house on the market and time running out I realize I have to power wash the house, well, the association is running around doing assessments and left me a sweet note reminding me to power wash and replace my chimney cap. I don't even know what that is but, guess whose taking care of that...ME!

Sitting in the kitchen taking care of all these little issues, you know, selling the house, keeping it clean, running with the kids, paying bills, dealing with the insurance company about the bike that I can't drive to the repair shop when suddenly I hear a pop and crash noise. A-mazing!! My patio table has a glass top and it shattered for no reason, it just did.

Now, the glass I can replace. I am told a local glass company will cut out a new one for me. OK I can deal with that. But now guess who has to clean up the mess.........ME!

Why I title this glass & wine? Because the broken glass was the straw that broke the camel's back. Thankfully for my rigid fitness routine (in the gym everyday for cardio and resistance work) I have been able to keep the effects of stress at bay. I feel pretty good by the end of the day and I get the extra energy I need to handle all these little issues that come up unexpectedly.

So here it is, my yummy red wine. It's an Australian Merlot, 2006 Jacob's Creek. Best part of this, it only cost me $7.00! Ahhhhh! Now I'm really relaxed. It was a very productive day.

By the way, I found out that Jacob's Creek was on the top 6 list of wines imported into the U.S. from Australia in 2004. That's so cool!!

Speaking of wine, I will be posting some information about wine storage in the next couple of days. Neil from On The Grapevine sent this really interesting article and let me tell you, I am guilty of storing wine for too long only to come up with some really sour vinegar later, ugh! However, I am more likely to drink my wine shortly after I buy it so this probably doesn't apply to me :-) Come again soon to read about how to store your precious wine!

Enjoy your week and Thank You for stopping by!

The power of a positive attitude

2009-09-20T08:47:00.000-04:00

Photo by SpinDiva "Sunset on the Sound, OBX 2009"

You ever find yourself surrounded by negative people?

At work.

At the grocery store.

At the gym.

Sometimes, even at home.

Yes. We all face them and sometimes we just follow suit and fall into that negative rut that plagues so many.

I'm a big believer in living as an optimist (with realism not to far behind). I have asked the pessimists in my life why they always thing the worst of things or the worst case scenario? They respond with "this way I'm prepared for the worst and if something good happens then I'll be surprised."

WOW. That response has stuck with me because it is amazing that anyone can think like that. I see their point though. They are trying to avoid feeling disappointed. But, what's wrong with a little disappointment? Aren't those the hurdles we must strive to jump every once in a while?

As an optimist I say everything will workout as it should or today is going to be a great day, regardless of how it started and it usually turns out that way. I find myself smiling more, getting less stressed over traffic issues, silly people, etc. However, when things don't workout, even after I've worked myself up to thinking they will, I use those moments as challenges to make things better.

There's a theory about stress first identified by Dr. Susan Kobasa (1979) called the Hardiness Theory of Stress. The theory has three basic principles: Commitment, Control and Challenge, also known as the three C's. Possessing the three C's makes one hardy.

One who is hardy will be committed to what they are doing, act as if they can control the outcome regardless of the changes, and use the change as a challenge to improve their life. Those people are considered hardy and have been known to #1 manage stress better then most, #2 avoid the health effects of stress, #3 live a happier life.

"When I go to bed at night I already know how my day is going to be the next day. However, I have been known to oversleep, forget to turn on the alarm, the kids sleep right through their alarm, and I forgot to pack lunches the night before, etc. OK so things have taken a turn and my plan to have a great day has been challenged. Am I hardy enough to deal with this mess?

I'd like to think I am, most of the time. I commit myself to what I know I can and must do NOW (get everyone up and ready to go). I control the outcome of this event (everyone will get to school, eventually- it's not the end of the world). I use the challenges and be better prepared next time (pack lunches the night before, go to bed at a reasonable time).

No screaming, no anger, no fights. Just taking the time to do what needs to be done because no matter what I do, I can't turn back time. I can only work towards making this day a great day, regardless of the setbacks.

A few quotes to get you thinking:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

~ Winston Churchill

“To love what you do and feel that it matters how could anything be more fun?”

~ Katherine Graham

“When you put faith, hope and love together, you can raise positive kids in a negative world.”
~ Zig Ziglar My favorite is one I used to sing to the kids on the way to school - So let the sunshine in Face it with a grin Smilers never loose and frowners never win So let the sunshine in Face it with a grin Open up your heart and let the sunshine in! (cross posted at Family In shape)

Foodie Friday: Mac 'N Cheese with Pep!

2009-09-17T23:27:00.029-04:00

This is a family favorite and to be honest, we all talked about our Josh, now in college, because he is so in love with food and this was one of his favorites. Gosh, we really miss him. I hope you all like this easy recipe. Be sure to stop in over at Michael's at Designs By Gollum for links to more fabulous Foodie Friday recipes.

Mac 'N Cheese with Pep

Feel free to substitute the Pep with any meat such as sausage, chicken, prosciutto, bacon, it's limitless. Also, the cheese can be any combination you like, from strong flavored to mild and light. We love lots of cheese so we mix it up and go with a lot of cheese. Here are the instructions and ingredients. Enjoy.

1 cup elbow macaroni

1 cup milk

1 cup cheese (we used italian and sharp cheddar)

1/4 Italian flavored bread crumbs

2 large eggs

1/4 cup chopped pepperoni

Cook the macaroni according to directions on the box minus a few minutes. You want these to be al dente because they will cook longer in the over and you don't want them to be soggy.

Set your oven to 350 degrees.

While you wait, whip the eggs a little bit, combine eggs and milk.

Add eggs and milk to drained macaroni. Add the cheese and pepperoni.

Sprinkle a layer of bread crumbs over the pasta.

Sprinkle with cheese and then again a little more bread crumbs. This will make the best crust ever!

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes. Don't let it dry up, you want to take it out of the over while you could still see milk bubbling. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving!

Voila!

Foodie Friday - S'Mores

2009-09-10T21:42:00.000-04:00

Foodie Friday is all about sharing good food with great friends on the blog-o-sphere and just down the street. Go visit Designs by Gollum for more goodies.

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Remember the good old campfire favorite. Toast your marshmallow in the fire pit, place on a graham cracker layered with a chocolate square, then squished together with another graham cracker to make the most delicious treat ever.

Well, I don't. Why? Because this is not a favorite treat in the Dominican Republic. When I finally did get the chance to try melting a marshamalow in the campfire I failed. The thing just caught fire and became a black blog on my stick. Someone eventually felt bad and handed me a perfectly tanned marshmallow but to be honest, I didn't get it. It tasted like smoke, sort of bitter. It just wasn't working for me.

That is, until.... I discovered that I could make them at home in the microwave.

Smile Big. Here it is. This is a great treat when my girls have sleepovers or when I want just one for dessert. Try it, you'll like it.

Ingredients

Graham Crackers

Chocolate Candy Bar

Large Marshmallows

Break the graham cracker in half and place in on a plate or paper towel.
Place 2 squares of chocolate on the cracker.
Place one large marshmallow on the chocolate.
Cook in microwave on high for 10-12 seconds.
Top with the other half of the graham cracker.

Squish it and eat it!!

The chocolate will melt right out but it's OK if it gets a little messy, still yummy and fun for everyone.

Enjoy!

Outdoor Wednesday- Clouds

2009-09-09T19:24:00.002-04:00

Susan is our host for Outdoor Wednesday. Visit A Southern Day Dreamer to see many other outdoors around the world.

I am showing you today my clouds. I am just amazed at the shapes, forms, shades and movements of the clouds. Anyway, you just enjoy these neat pictures and please, leave a comment so I know you've been here. Thank You.

The makings of a storm. This was during Hurricane Bill which only brought us only rain, it looked much worse than it really was.

And then....clear skies. Beautiful!

Have a great week!!

I thrive under pressure

2009-09-06T07:07:00.001-04:00

Oh my word, this is so me lately, except they should add a few more kids to the mix, definitely a few moody teenagers.

Why do I thrive on the edge of pressure? It's almost like I seek out things to do to get me stressed. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy those times of nothing to do but it seems that I can't enjoy down time unless I've had a good dose of "give me pressured, stress me out" up time. Crazy huh?

You all know I'm moving, supposedly in four to six weeks. So why am I not emptying these closets and drawers. I have the time now? I often open a closet I plan to go through because surely there's something in there I don't want them to pack nor do I want to keep but then I close that door and say, "maybe later, there's plenty of time" and that's the end of that.

It's nothing new, it's really comical now for me to wait until I feel that pressure, let my adrenalin kick in and get something done fast and efficiently all while trying to accomplish a million other last minute things too. I've become quite good at living under pressure.

I guess that is what motivates me, what gives me energy to move and get things done. Some people prefer to have time to work slowly and others, like me, thrive under pressure. That's never going to change.

Today, however, is a beautiful day which I have chosen to do a little of all the things I enjoy doing on a Sunday. I will drink my tea, blog and read blogs, visit my only classroom (Oh yes, school is back in session for me too!), I will go to church today and then we have plans to celebrate Labor Day with friends.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day Weekend. You deserve a break, so take it!!

Blogging Issues- soon to be resolved

2009-09-05T10:18:00.000-04:00

In an effort to make my blog user friendly and to help promote visitors I signed up with commentLuv and JSKITS to manage my messaging while having the ability to link back to my visitors with ease. I see that when I sign in to someone's blog and they have this feature it picks up my latest blog for others to see and maybe click on it. However, that's not working out for me on blogger so I decided to give that up. It seems simpler is better. I'm in the process of simplifying the comments section be because I don't want to miss anything out there because of technicalities.

Thank You all for letting me know there were issues. I was feeling so unloved for a while until it was brought to my attention and I do appreciate it!! So here I go again, trying to make things simple, keeping my space looking nice and joining in all the fun of the blog world.

Have a super fantastic weekend to all...be safe!!

Foodie Friday: Buttered Tilapia & Semillon Wine

2009-09-04T07:20:00.006-04:00

Hosted by Gollum, foodie friday is a fun way to experience food from a different perspective. I love sharing my recipes and reading what others have posted as well. Stop by Designs by Gollum to see more.

My recipe for today is a favorite of ours. My son, now in college, made this one last time before we took him to school this week. Tilapia is a mild fish, not very fishy tasting but delicious. We first read about this recipe on AllRecipes.com. However, we've made just a few changes based on what we like to arrive at this Very Easy meal. Mostly, we love the way the butter makes the fish taste and feel so we increased the amount of butter. Tried making it with Olive Oil but it just wasn't the same.

Ingredients:

1 lb Fresh Tilapia

1/2 lemon

1/2 cup butter (not margarine)

1/4 cup Parsley

1 large garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

Start by rinsing your fresh Tilapia under cool water. Pat dry with a paper towel and place in a 9X13 pan.

Mash or mince your garlic and spread over the fish.

Drizzle with 1/2 lemon's juice & melted butter.

Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.

Bake uncovered in middle rack, at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Fish is done when it flakes separates easily with a fork.

Done!!

We serve this dish with a Mushroom & Onion Risotto and our favorite garden salad which is topped with Havarti cheese, almonds, and craisins. A great wine with this meal is featured below. Although the kids don't get the wine, they get the apple juice or water, it was a great way to say farewell to our college bound son.

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Now here's Neil from On The Grapevine to share some more interesting facts about wine. This particular one goes well with my Buttered Tilapia.

Semillon is my favourite white wine. The grape is used in France as a blending component to make the dry white wines of Bordeaux but more famously it is used in the production of the sweet dessert wines of Sauterne eg. Chateau d’Yquem.

In Australia it is also used to make both styles but predominantly as a single varietal wine although it is sometimes blended with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. I have never found much Semillon in the USA, either locally made or imported, but in my opinion it is well worth seeking out.

The most famous Australian Semillon comes from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Usually of low alcohol (10-11%) and unwooded, when young it is a crisp dry wine smelling of apples, grass/hay and tasting of citrus. However on aging, the same wine develops into a full flavoured toasty, honeyed wine that is now considered a classic Australian wine style.

In other areas of the country it is allowed to ripen more thus producing wines of higher alcohol, more body and with flavours more like tropical fruit, passion fruit and figs. These wines are also more conducive to the wine maker’s input so many are either barrel fermented, left for a time on the lees, allowed to go through malolactic fermentation or barrel aging (or a combination of all or some).

All these processes increase the complexity of the wine adding creamy, buttery and nutty tones to aroma and flavour.

A dry Semillon is great with any seafood, pasta dish or white meat but is just as acceptable to be drunk by itself outside, with feet up, on a warm summer’s day.

Enjoy!

Sabbath Moments - finding the peace within

2009-08-29T07:28:00.008-04:00

"Sabbath Moments are those moments or hours or days that we take to honor God, to rest in God, and to put God first on our list. No agenda needed. A time to Just Be."

I thank the host of the Sabbath moments, Colleen, for sharing her moments and giving me some perspective on life. Live in the moment, right Colleen? :-) Visit Colleen and join in the moment.

The last few weeks since we received orders that will move us from Virginia to Cuba, life has been stressful, hectic, crazy to say the least. In my last update I gave you a quick synopsis of where we stand but what most people don't realize is how much needs to be done in order for this move to take place. The behind the scene work no one is prepared to do while still living a normal life and keeping the peace in the family. All that takes great effort, a lot of energy, and patience.

In the midst of all the craziness around here I have found several Sabbath moments and I have to say that those moments, even in small doses, are my salvation. Sometimes, like today, I just get up early in the morning and reflect on the previous day, check off that to-do list because it gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I also look at my life and realize how blessed I am to have such a fantastic family who loves me and is always there for me, beautiful friends who are willing to hear me complain and then stick around for the laughter and of course my kids, they light up my life.

These quiet moments I manage to find also throughout the day. Yesterday I took out the trash and realized how loud things were in the house when I stepped outside and closed the door I heard nothing. So I decided to take my time or as my husband says "take the scenic route back home from the trash can"-- which is funny because the trash can is just outside but it helps to walk around the house before re-entering. Those quick minutes were all I needed to re-energize and regroup my thoughts. It really is a great feeling to just BE sometimes.

It is during these quiet times of reflection that I take the time to give thanks to GOD for giving me all that I have inside and out, for my family and friends AND even for this time, the time to be with him. Even when I'm in the moment I'm never really all alone and that's just fine with me.

What's happening here?

2009-08-22T07:59:00.008-04:00

OBX, North Carolina Sunset

I woke up this morning thinking I had to be somewhere or I had to wake someone up or something, I don't know, very strange. It must be the stress of the week. It seems I have so many thing scheduled that I'm afraid I'll forget something.

Some updates on what's happening now:

We are definitely moving to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by end of September. For anyone curious, this means I'll be posting a lot of pictures about our new home. Should be interesting.

U.S. Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Our house is still on the market, had a few close calls with contracts but nothing we could live with so we'll try again, hopefully soon.

Newport News, VA

My son is really leaving...oh my GOD I though I was ready for this. We drop him off next week at his new school where he will begin a new stage in life. He is so talented, loves music and makes the best cinnamon rolls, I told him he needs to teach his sister his skills in the kitchen. It's so much fun having someone around who WANTS to try a new recipe with me or cook something completely different. I will miss that about him.

My teen daughter is finally OK with moving to Cuba. She actually wants to and can't wait. Something clicked and she's now ready. Thank you LORD!! She has returned to her old self of constantly switching between making us laugh and being mad at something that didn't go her way.

us being silly :-)

School is back in session....well not yet but real soon they will be back in school here in the states but only for a few weeks then we move. Go figure!

Enjoy the Summer because it's going by quickly!

Then it will be me and my little man again - my little sweetie.

Dad will be on a 30 day leave prior to moving so I have a feeling he'll want to do something fun, like fishing. I don't personally enjoy fishing but I guess I could do that for him, maybe this once.

Finally, I have spent countless hours just getting ready for the move, so much paperwork, little details, it's just a jungle but today I plan to take some time to just not thing about any of this and have some fun with my friends.

It's party time!

Blue Monday- Beach Days of Fun

2009-08-17T08:11:00.003-04:00

It's time for Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally and I have a few blues I want to share with everyone. Visit Sally to see what other are sharing.

Enjoy the shades of blue :-)

A little German Riesling for the moms - not too bad.

Walking up the sand dunes in the OBX, North Carolina - it was hot, but it was beautiful.

A fun blue slide for the little one.

Blue toes - interesting color, like ink.

And of course, the sunset...it's amazing, it's beautiful, I could have watched for ever.

So much to share but I'll save some for another monday. Everyone, have a fantastic day today and everyday!!

Beach Trip Gone ... well it's raining here :-(

2009-08-14T07:59:00.003-04:00

Going to the beach in the summer is something we all look forward to at one point or another. Even if we don't really enjoy the sand stuck in places we'd rather not reveal, we love going to the beach during the summer months. This year I agreed to join three other moms and their children in a house in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. There were 15 of us total and here's the breakdown: 4 moms, Boys: 1-18, 1-16, 1-15, 2-12, 1-3; Girls: 4-15, 1-7 years old.

Day one, driving day. Took three hours to get there, no traffic, no issues in the car, no whining kids, I mean the perfect ride on a beautiful day. We unloaded the vehicles and headed for the waters right away. After an afternoon/evening getting sandy we all came back jumped in the pool, ate dinner, played some games and went to bed.

Day two, another perfect day, super hot but beautiful. We spend a good 30 minutes applying sun screen on everyone before hitting the sand again. We found out that our beach has a valet service. Never had that before but was glad they had one. There were college students everywhere driving little golf carts to the beach and dropping your stuff exactly where you want them. That was fantastic. Then we rented umbrellas and they set those up for us and take them down every day...again, fantastic. Couldn't be better.

Day three, better weather, a little cooler, the water was warmer, it was the best.

Day four, things went down hill fast. The weather went from sunny to raining, thunder storms, torrential rain at times and flood warnings in the area. If you've never seen the Outer Banks on the map, go take a look. It's a strip of land with one way in and one way out with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the sound on the other. A flood is not something I care to experience here.

However, here we are, no flood, still raining and us moms sit here trying to figure out what else we could do to entertain 11 well behaved children. I think walking in the rain is not such a bad thing. All in all, it's great to be here with friends, having fun and enjoying each other's company.

Pictures coming soon! Have a great weekend!

Foodie Friday: Easy BBQ Baby Back Ribs & Red Zinfandel

2009-08-07T09:42:00.007-04:00

Foodie Friday!!!

Hello again everyone. I have so missed participating in Foodie Friday but now I'm back with a very tasty, summer recipe and some wine to go with it. You just might find yourself baking or grilling these babies real soon. Enjoy! Please visit Designs by Gollum for more tasty recipes.

Serves 4 (or 2 depending how hungry you are)

2 racks of Baby Back Ribs

2 TBSP oil (olive or canola works fine)

Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 red onion

1/2 cup water or better yet - vegetable broth

1 bottle of original BBQ Sauce

You may want to cut the rib racks in half to make it easier to fit in a large pan.

Wash the ribs, pat dry with paper towel. Rub them with oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder - just a little; salt and pepper. Slice up onion and place in a shallow pan, top with ribs. It's OK if they overlap :-)

Add broth or water to the pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Cook at 350 for about 1.5 hour. Check for doneness. Meat should be tender and pull apart easily.

When done, remove foil, drain excess water from the pan. Brush ribs with BBQ sauce. Lots of BBQ sauce. I love it sticky, gooey, yummy. OK sorry.

Return to the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Check it often so it doesn't burn. Keep adding BBQ sauce, and cook another 5 minutes longer. Oh yummy. This is a deliciously messy meal.

I serve this with Potato Salad, Garden Salad, Corn Bread, and of course a nice glass of Red Zinfandel.

Speaking of Zinfandel - here's Neil from On The Grapevine once again with a little background on the Zinfandel family of wines. Enjoy!

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Photo from Wines.com

Zinfandel is a very popular wine grape variety in the USA with 21,000 ha (52,500 acres) under vine in California alone. It is third only to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the red grape growing stakes there. It is not popular in Australia where only 140ha (350 acres) are grown. In fact Australia exports most of this variety to the USA. It tends to be a little fickle from a viticulture point of view, demonstrating uneven ripening, rain damage and bunch rot as well as not coping well with mechanical harvesting.

DNA testing revealed that it was genetically matched to the Croatian variety Crijenak Kasrelanski (where it originated) and the Italian variety Primitivo. All three however have developed distinctive clonal differences in their country of cultivation over several hundred years. It is thought that the variety arrived in the USA into Boston via Austria around 1830 and made its way to California in 1850.

Wines made from this grape come in many different styles. In the USA, these range from rose¢s and light reds through to big alcoholic reds and fortifieds as well as late harvest dessert wines. White Zinfandel is a semi sweet blush ie. pale pink, wine that has picked up some colour from its short contact with the red skins of the grape during vinification. It could also be called a Rose¢ but this term is usually used for pink wines that are dry.

In the USA sales of White Zinfandel are six times that of the red wine.

White Zinfandel goes with pasta dishes (especially those with creamy sauces), fish, pork, lamb, hams, mild cheeses, antipasto, egg dishes, Asian and Indian food and most desserts.

Red Zinfandel wines can have an alcoholic content of 15% or more and many can be ‘hot’, big, full bodied and even jammy. But on average, with good wine making techniques, Red Zinfandel can have good fruit, with blackberry, raspberry, plum and cherry aromas and flavours. They can also have hints of earthiness, chocolate, leather and spice, but are not usually considered too complex. The tannins are usually moderate, generally balanced with good acidity and a pleasant mouth-feel.

Foods that go well with Red Zinfandel include sausage, beef, lamb, pork and venison, all either braised, grilled or roasted. Because of its lower tannin content, this wine can take some heat from chillies. Ribs with a spicy barbecue sauce are considered almost a classic match. Zinfandel friendly cheese include aged Parmesan, Dry Monterey Jack and Manchego. Zinfandel also goes well in recipes that include tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms and olives.

Visit Neil at On The Grapevine to read more about wine, grapes, and travel adventures.

Outdoor and Watery Wednesday - Watery Fun

2009-08-05T07:44:00.005-04:00

Susan from A Southern Day Dreamer hosts outdoor Wednesday which is fantastic because it brings me back from crazy land into blog-o-land. Go visit Susan. The other posts are just amazing. Thanks Susan!!

So we finally received our orders to ship out to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Great!! There's no fun in waiting. I like having 'orders' telling me to pack my stuff and move, like NOW! OK so maybe not now but in 8-10 weeks. Sure, because government offices are that efficient right. Not trying to insult anyone out there who might be a government employee doing a great job. There are quite a few of you who do and I, for one, am thankful for your service.

My beef is with the others who feel I owe them and should be blessed that they are even helping me. Just tell me what you need from me so we can move along and I will do it. It's pretty simple. No. We will wait until you have been in our waiting room with your screaming kid running up and down the corridor before we tell you that you are either in the wrong room or have the wrong information or are missing a piece of vital importance. We like it like that!!

Well that was me venting briefly because since we got our orders and realized we need to sell our house, be screened for overseas travel with the military, transfer school records and get new government issued passports, I have been stressing...that is until I realized, again, that there is no point in stressing over the things I can't control so I will put my focus on what I can do and you know what, things are improving. Amazing what a little attitude adjustment can do for you.

So now I will ask lots of questions and get all my ducks in a row before going to see any government agent. Even if they think I'm an idiot for asking "dumb" questions. In my recent experience, there are no dumb questions. I will follow instruction, be patient, exercise, eat well, rest and most important.... here, this is most important:

We will have a great summer.....we will get soakin' wet.... we will live and be happy.
We will smile, laugh, enjoy life and leave stress out of the picture.

In the end, Daddy has to leave by end of September, the rest of us can join him as soon as our paperwork is completed. No Big Deal!!

Have a fantastic Summer everyone, and thanks for visiting my blog.

PS: I have an awesome recipe and wine combo coming on Friday for Foodie Friday so come again soon.

I realized this fits right in with Watery Wednesday. Great blog and great watery posts there as well. Go check them out.

Outdoor Wednesday - Field of Dreams

2009-07-29T08:59:00.004-04:00

I'm back to participate in Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan from A Southern Day Dreamer. Click on the link or the photo below to see more of what others are sharing today.

I have been so absent due to travel and planning a move, etc. It's life. So anyway, I want to share a bit of Harrington Delaware today.

A sunset. You know how much I love to photograph the sky so here it is. It's majestic, calming, hopeful that a new day will come again.

Soybeans.

A water sprinkling system over a field of corn. I can't help to think of "if you build it, they will come" -- remember Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner?

Here's a sprinkler in action early in the morning.

Here's my little man taking in the wide open spaces. No cars to worry about here.

Although I do enjoy seeing so much green uninterrupted by building and cars and street lights, I miss the mountains. I think I prefer to have a little more definition in my life but it was a nice place to visit.

Enjoy and have a great Wednesday!! Stay Cool!!

Can I ride a Harley?

2009-07-26T17:45:00.002-04:00

About a year or maybe more ago one of my good friends (my sister Lin) decided she would do something different. She was going to learn how to ride a motorcycle. At the time it was just a goal to break that "you look so nun-like" label I gently placed on her when we first met. She wanted to do something wild, something completely out of the box, just for fun of course. Little did she know there would be a Harley, a leather jacket and cute helmet in her future. At the insitence of her hubby she bought a bike and got her license and now rides on a regular basis. She loves it!!

I have been a "back seat mamma" for a long time. In fact, when I met my husband in Hawaii he had a bike and to me, it was really exciting to ride along the coast. All I had to do was hold on and enjoy the ride - it was and still is fantastic to go on these rides with my husband. I love it.

However, since my sister got her license she's been telling me how much fun she has riding her bike and insist that I let myself go through the same mid-life crisis she went though after turning 40. Well, I'm there and I think she's right. So I've been sharing this idea with other friends and telling my hubby to teach me how..etc..etc. He said once we get to our next duty station he will teach me how to ride. I'm excited.

Last week I had the pleasure of having breakfast with a very good friend from when I lived in Pennsylvania and shared with her my goal of learning to ride a bike, preferably a Harley. She smiled and said "I could really see you in a leather jacket, riding a Harley." We both laughed not sure if either of us was serious. Well after our meal and chatting session was over she asked me to walk over to her car. She opened the trunk, ripped open a box and out came a beautiful, black leather jacket with the Harley-Davidson logo printed on the inside label and on each zipper pull and button.

I was speechless. She said "I told you I could see you in a black leather jacket, now the pressure is on to learn how to ride that harley...I want pictures." Well the pressure is on so I know I will do it within the year. After all, I can't let my friends down, right?

Visiting family and friends

2009-07-21T11:26:00.003-04:00

Well this has been a fun filled travel week for us. We are currently in Pennsylvania with father in law (FiL), have already visited Great Grandma, uncles, aunts and cousins in New Jersey, college orientation for Josh and soon we travel to Delaware and then back to Virginia until moving date.

Whew! That's exhausting. This is when we appreciate having a big Chevy conversation that seats 7 and hold a week worth of stuff. I generally keep 2 trash bags in the car for easy clean up, 2 coolers with traveling snacks and drinks, a bag of toys and books and of course some electronics to keep kids entertained. Oh and lets not forget the good old GPS for detouring when traffic gets ugly - that is definitely a life saver.

The kids have visited the local Zoo with daddy and the park where their dad used to play when he was a kid. We are planning to visit the King of Prussia Mall in a few minutes here-- it's time to let the baby run himself tired. You ever been there...it's a big mall with more stores than I can handle but it's fun to walk through it. It's a bit on the expensive side for me so there's a lot of just dreaming going on --Ha ha!!

Daddy has been reconnecting with old friends and with his brother, going night fishing and catching nothing but good stories and a few mosquito bites but it's the quality of time that matters right? No? A big fish for dinner would have been fantastic, maybe tonight.

Time to go "window" shopping at KoP Mall Plaza and The Court. Look forward to sharing more about wine from Neil, more about our trip, and more about life. Have a great week everyone!!