Valentine's Day: You Are Loved

In honor of Valentine's Day and the recent passing of the legendary and beautiful Whitney Houston, I thought I would post one of my favorite songs from the movie, "The Preacher's Wife."

So this is just a little reminder not only for Valentine's Day, but for every day of the year. We need to realize that we are loved and we need to remind those in our lives that they are loved...
Life is too short to spend with regrets.

The last chorus says:

You were loved by someone
Touched by someone
Held by someone
Meant something to someone
Loved somebody
Touched somebody's heart along the way
You can look back and say (mmmm) you did okay
You were loved.

So remember to tell that special one (yeah, mm)
You were loved...
You were loved...
You were loved...

Be blessed, blogger family.

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing all of the mothers out there a blessed & happy Mother's Day today!
Whether you are a birth mother, an adoptive mother, a grandmother, sister, aunt, or cousin who is taking care of & raising children, I wish you a wonderful & relaxing day today. You definitely deserve it for all that you do and as a child to a wonderful mother, we appreciate you!

A lot has happened between Mother's Day of 2010 and Mother's Day of 2011. I can honestly say that I am so happy & blessed to have a mother who loves me enough to drop everything and to come take care of me, to sit by my bedside, and to pray for me. Thank God I have a praying mother, not sure where I would be right now if I didn't have her interceding to the Lord on my behalf.

That being said, we took another Mother's Day picture in front of her house this year. I look at this picture and I'm amazed when I look at the picture from last year where we are in almost the exact same pose. Can't wait to see next year's picture. What a difference a year can make...

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

May 4th, 1975

Thirty-six years ago I came screaming into this world. Knowing me, I was probably cold, hungry, and cranky. My brothers would tell you that not that much has changed since then. LOL

Today has been an absolutely wonderful day. I feel so blessed because of the health issues that I had last year. Due to my health problems, we had to place our adoption on hold for months and we are only now getting everything back going. A few months ago, I remember my hubby asking me what I wanted for my birthday this year. I told him that I didn't really need anything and the only thing I wanted was our baby. Unfortunately, he was not able to work a miracle with getting me a baby but I remain hopeful and prayerful that she will be here soon by the Grace of God.

That being said, I thought long and hard about what else I wanted. This blog is all about my adventures in the kitchen trying out new recipes and making old recipes a little healthier. I completely forgot that two muffin recipes ago, the motor on my little hand mixer went out. She had served me well for about 10 years or so and I definitely got my money's worth a couple of times over. So, when the hubby asked me what else I wanted, did I remember to ask him for the brand new, shiny, pink, KitchenAid stand-up mixer that I have been cyber-stalking on Amazon for the past month? Nooo, I asked him for a bread machine!
LOL
A bread machine?
Yup, a bread machine.
I had been online looking up all the fabulous things you can make with one, so when he asked me what I wanted, that's what popped out of my mouth. Did y'all know that not only can you make fresh homemade bread, but you can also make rolls, pasta, pizza dough, cookies, cakes, and even homemade jam in these things? I didn't know all that and I definitely had to get one!
The hubby, being the IT guru that he is, decided to stalk the internet and got me the Zojirushi.
In our house, it's pronounced, "The Zooo-ji-ruuu-shi"!
Hehehehehe
I love my techie and my test kitchen lab rats are probably salivating wondering what goodies they'll be testing out soon.

It is so awesome and I cannot wait to make my first loaf of homemade whole wheat bread. Yumm yumm!

Ok, so back to the birthday...
I started off by opening my awesome presents and getting phone calls from my wonderful family. I had a free massage scheduled from my chiropractor's office. OH. MY. WORD.
What was supposed to be 30 minutes of tension-relieving bliss turned out to be 30 minutes of tense awkwardness (at least on my part). Why so tense you ask? Oh, I'll tell ya.

1. I've gotten massages before, but I have never gotten a massage from a man. Keep in mind that you are naked from the waist up lying in a dim room lit by aromatherapy candles covered by a sheet but it wasn't Helga smoothing the kinks out of my muscles, it was Sven.
   
2. I've never gotten a massage by a man who looked like he could go audition for the doggoned Chippendales. Yes, ladies, you heard right. To quote my cousin, that man was "swole". So there I am lying on my belly, naked from the waist up and all I could think about was, dang, my rolls are showing. Should have had a few less muffins. LOL!
3. To quote Jodie Foster from Sommersby, "You are NOT my husband!" LOL
   

Afterwards, the Chippendale told me that I had a lot of tension in my upper shoulders and neck. Out loud I replied, "Yeah, those are the spots that always tense up when I'm stressed."
In my head I said, "Dude! You are a dude and you are not my husband! Do YOU know what you look like???"
Aarrrggghhh
Never would anything that ridiculous have happened to me when I was young and nubile and single!
LOL
So after I got over the fact of this strange man rubbing down my fat back, I spent the second half of the massage wondering if he was single and if he would be offended if I introduced him to my single friend Traci. LOL!

So after my fiasco of a massage, I took myself to lunch at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants and had a yummy meal of Garlic Chicken with Stir-fried Veggies (my favorite from this place).
Then, I went to the Riversong Spa & Salon for a pedicure and an eyebrow waxing. After my spa treatments, I went shoe shopping!

Ahhh, it doesn't get any better than that.

Check out my new toes and my new blinged out sandals!

Last but certainly not least, I had a romantic dinner date with the hubby. We went to this nice restaurant here called the "Sapphire Bar & Grill" at the penthouse level of the Double Tree Hotel here in JC. It was really nice and offered a wonderful view of downtown. The meal was pretty good (if a little bland) but the view and the ambiance was wonderful. I also got a piece of birthday cheesecake. A wonderful end to an awesome day. I am so blessed.


So, while I had a few sad moments thinking about the baby who isn't here yet, the rest of the day was full of fun times, good food, and great shopping! Hopefully by this time next year, I will have a chubby baby to kiss for my birthday.

Peace and blessings!

May 4th, 2011

On another note, our Etsy store that we opened online is moving along. We are raising money for our adoption fund and are selling cute bracelets. We've sold two bracelets in two days, so I think that's awesome! Check it out!

Get The Word Out!

Calling all children of God, believers in Christ, builders of the Kingdom, I am in need of your help.

My good friend, Traci Buss, has been called by God to go on a mission trip to Kenya, Africa this year. Her organization's name is GTWO (Get The Word Out) and their website can be found at: http://www.gtwomissions.org/. Their mission is to distribute Bibles locally, nationally and worldwide, wherever there is an opportunity. They also work to build housing as well as distribute Bibles, do Bible teaching, evangelizing the gospel, build discipleship of Christian believers, and participate in Peace Rallies in warring areas of northwestern Kenya. They are working to build schools and recently, to build an orphanage.


Their page states that "God is changing lives all over the world." I think that this is definitely a true statement. I believe that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Traci is in need of donations as well as prayers right now. The size of the donation doesn't matter because any amount will be helpful, but the size of the prayer definitely does matter! If you feel led to do so, please send a donation on her behalf to PayPal at gtwomissions@gmail.com. At the bottom where it says to send a message, please put Kenya mission trip in the subject line. In the message, just state that you would like this donation applied to Traci Buss's mission trip.


That's it. It turned out to be pretty easy to do and I believe that you can still donate without establishing a PayPal account. Thank you for being obedient to God's Word by helping the less fortunate and the orphans, and for helping a fellow Christian who is desperately trying to stay on the path that God has revealed to her. Thank you for being the cobblestones on that path.


Study Scripture for the day: Luke 6:38
Luke 6:38 - For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give--large or small--will be used to measure what is given back to you."

Thank you again and God bless!

Please vote for me!

Oh my goodness!

I entered this beauty contest to win free makeup kind of on a whim and my entry was officially accepted! I am an official model entry. (Holy moly!)
(screaming- hahaha)
Anyway, here is the link if you would like to vote for me. I could win a trip to NY, free makeup, and could be included in the Black Opal marketing for the year. So anyway, please vote for me. I think the voting deadline is Feb. 28th.

Thanks so much! And feel free to forward this message to as many people that you know and come back daily to vote again!
LOL!

http://www.blackopalbeauty.com/truebeautymodelsearch/gallery/entry.php?model=4d65328f477a0

Thank you so much!
Muuaaahhhh!!!

Satan Left a Message on My Answering Machine

Good morning! I came across this email forward from Kristin's blog at Iowa Girl Eats. Talk about hilarious! This was just what I needed to get me going this morning. I can so relate after my renewed attempts to get past this plateau. Enjoy this funny message this morning and have a wonderful day!

A Woman’s Week at the Gym

Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my Husband (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Christo, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My husband seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:

Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Christo waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god – with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Christo gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Christo was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around.. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!

TUESDAY:

I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Christo made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. His rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It’s a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:

The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Christo was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Christo put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Christo told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other shit too.

THURSDAY:

Asshole was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late – it took me that long to tie my shoes. He took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny bitch to find me. Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine — which I sank.

FRIDAY:

I hate that bastard Christo more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little aerobic instructor. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it. Christo wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the damn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY:

Satan left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing his voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:

I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun — like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

After you recover, send this to every woman you know!

Super Bowl Sunday

The time has finally come.
Super Bowl XLV is here. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers are going head to head in the championship game taking place in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.
Hey, if you don't love the Super Bowl for nothing else, you've got to love any event that allows you to eat appetizers as a meal. As a matter of fact, I'm going to go get another carrot and get started on our game day wings.

Super Bowl Menu:
Pulled Pork sliders with Coleslaw
Game Day chicken wings
Meatballs
Rotel sausage dip with tortilla chips
Homemade Salsa
Vegetable Tray with Ranch dip
Spinach dip with pita chips
Chocolate drizzled popcorn

Yum yum! Recipes and pictures coming soon!

Go Steelers!!!

Snowmageddon 2011

Hmm, Snowmageddon... the Snowpacalypse... SnOMG...

Either way, whatever you want to call it, the blizzard of 2011 for the Midwest has struck in full force.

The view across the street

Today was day two of our being snowed in. The hubby is out there right now trying to shovel the snow. He is working in 30-60 minute shifts because it is so cold and the snow is so heavy. Unfortunately, we don't have a snow blower. We probably will have to make an investment to get one before next winter as long as we are living in the midwest.

Picture of the hubby's enthusiasm (LOL)

Yesterday, MoDoT (Missouri Dept of Transportation) completely closed down I-70 for the entire state, from Kansas City all the way to Missouri. The entire state? Yes, the entire state...
Crazy, huh? It reopened by 7:00 this morning, but they are slow getting to the residential side streets. Probably because of the large amount of snow that blew through Missouri. I think the official count for Jefferson City was 18 inches, but I think we got more out here in the burbs. I know our snow drift that blew up against the house was taller than 18 inches.

Snow drift at the front porch

The storm caused thousands of flights to be cancelled and the Univ. of Missouri has now cancelled classes for the 3rd day. The news crew is saying that if you don't have to go out, stay in. If you have to go out, then go out in a 4-wheel drive vehicle or else you may be trapped wherever you are going.

View of the snow on our balcony

Meanwhile, I have been cooking up a storm in my semi-boredom. Yesterday, I made my first frittata and Mexican Enchilada Casserole. Today, I am thinking about making these Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (without the cocoa in them) but with the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling from Susan at http://doughmesstic.blogspot.com/. Hubby swears that I am trying to sabotage his weight loss plans, but I told him that's why we work out. (hehehe) Hey, it's not my fault if he continues to get seconds, right? We'll see on Monday if my weight has increased, decreased, or stayed the same with the extra dessert but the definite increase in my aerobic schedule.

Ahh, where to start???

So, we're snowed in and I get to try all of the recipes that I've been wanting to try.
This is awesome!
Stay posted to see what else is going on over here in the Kitchen. Have a good remainder of the week and if you are stuck in this blizzard too, be safe.