My "Bests" for 2012!

Looking back on the year that has passed and anticipating a new year is always exciting. But sometimes when I look back I see only the hard things that happened and forget the good things. I was reading a blog I subscribe to and the writer of the blog asked its readers to list their “Bests” for 2012. In remembering the “bests” you end the year on a positive note and take an “attitude of gratitude” into the New Year. I started considering what some of my “bests” would be and decided to share them with you.

Best song – It is hard to choose one so I will go with “10,000 Reasons” by Matt

            Redman and “Not For A Moment” by Vertical Church and Meredith

            Andrews

Best new food – Rice chips and rice crackers

Best new habit – I eliminated gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and refined sugar from my

            diet. It has made a huge difference!

Best books – Again there are two. The devotional book, “Jesus Calling” by Sarah

            Young and “Life of the Beloved” by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Best thing I am learning – That my trying really, really hard does not get me any

 closer to where I think I want to be. I am learning to relax and let go.

Best thing about my husband – He loves to cook and many nights has dinner ready

            when I get home from work. (There are lots of good things about my

husband, so this is just one of the “best” things!)

Best event – Reconciling with my husband

Best DVD – While not a cinematic classic I think my favorite DVD this year was

            “Larry Crowne,” starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Not only does it have

            some awesome ELO songs, but I identified with his struggles and situations.

 

Best movie in the theater – So, I don’t go see very many movies in the

            theater, but one that was special for many personal reasons was “The Hunger

            Games.” I loved the story and saw it with my husband, daughter and her

            “friend” Paul. Paul is now Katheryne’s boyfriend and soon - May 2013, will

            become Katheryne’s husband. (It is not official yet.) And the second which

            is the most amazing movie I have seen, maybe ever, is “Les Miserables’” with

            Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. The music was breathtaking!!

Best weekend – I participated in a Koinonia weekend this fall and it was the best

            thing I have done in a while. I laughed, I cried, I ate way too much and

            found a place where it was safe to talk about my hurts. Most importantly,

            I realized I am not alone in my brokenness.

Best Christmas Album – Each year I pick an album and listen to it over and over

again – this year it was “How Many Kings: Songs for Christmas” by Downhere.

Best new album – “All Things Possible” by Mark Schultz

Best new recipes – I started making my own protein bars with vegan protein

            powder, gluten-free Rice Krispies, almond butter and agave nectar –

            yummy!! And Beef Stroganoff thickened with gluten-free Bisquik and

            almond milk and served over Quinoa pasta! (Actually, my husband

            makes it!)

These are just a few of my “bests” but I hope they help you to think of some “bests” of your own. And as you enter the New Year, may your eyes be open to the small blessings that are part of every day, may you choose to forgive those who wrong you, and when life is hard – may you always choose joy!

Reflecting on my kids!

--> Wow, it is almost the end of 2012! How time flies…when you are living life, because it hasn’t been a completely fun year. But it has been a special and good Christmas this year. Both kids were home and we were joined by Katheryne’s boyfriend, Paul and have enjoyed having all three here. I have become more aware, especially this year, at how my kids have become their own persons while also marveling at the similarities between them and family members. 

--> For instance, Ben is now 22 years old. For the past year or so I have told him how much he reminds me of my brother David. Although he heard what I said, I don’t think he saw that in himself – until this year. We were able to get together with my brother and his wife and daughter and my parents, so Ben was able to spend some time talking and visiting with them. This past week as we have talked and Ben has been “himself” around the house I have heard him say more than once, “Yea, I guess I am a lot like Uncle David” or “Yup, that is something Uncle David would say.” I wonder how it is that he became like my brother David rather than my brother Alan and I guess only God knows the answer to that question. But I am constantly thankful for David’s integrity and character and am thankful my son has had several examples of integrity and character in his life.  

And Katheryne…Katheryne is quiet, intelligent and witty. As Ben and I were talking about who he is like she commented that she didn’t think she was like anyone in our family. But she is like her dad. And her dad is like my dad. They all have this dry sense of humor, that is unexpected because they are so quiet, and is also very funny. Katheryne, Levi and my dad are all writers – perhaps Katheryne is the best because she has taken classes to pursue writing as more than just a hobby, but it is something they all have in common. And while they each excel in a different area, they are all extremely intelligent. When I pointed the similarities to her she quietly smiled and said, “Oh.” Again, so much like her father and grandfather. 

My kids are all grown up and making their way in the world. Becoming a little more themselves every day, and a little more like the people who have been influential in their lives. What a gift to have them home for Christmas this year and how proud I am of who they are!!

As the holidays come to a close I am reminded again of how special family is - I would not have made it through 2012 without my family. And just as I pray for myself and those special to me, I pray that 2013 holds many blessings for you and your family.

Gluten...not so good for you!

I have at last, very reluctantly, joined the ranks of those who are gluten-free, or in my case, working toward gluten-free living. I have hesitated because I know of more and more people who are giving up gluten and I wanted to make sure I was doing this for the right reasons and not copying the choices of others. And I have NOT been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, but I have known I have issues with flour for several years now. Recently it has become worse. There are many symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and while I only have a few they are bothersome.  I get stomach cramps on eating certain foods with flour and I get terrible heartburn. As I get older the crappy food I eat not only shows up on my hips but also in my face as my complexion gets very blotchy, my face gets puffy, and I break out a lot. I also have struggled with itchy rashes on my torso and thighs and I notice the itchiness soon after eating whatever food I shouldn’t have eaten. Add to these symptoms difficulty losing weight and generally feeling sluggish and I finally decided enough was enough.

Perhaps you feel that I should speak to my doctor before making this kind of decision? Well, I will admit that I have not seen my doctor in a year (I will probably see her by the end of the year), but I have, in the past talked with her about gluten and flour in general and gotten her insight and opinion on gluten-free living. On a side note here – I have the coolest doctor.  She is attractive and smart and open to natural healing as well as medicine. And actually, my doctor does not eat gluten. When I questioned her as to why she said she was having some random health issues that she couldn’t figure out; she eliminated gluten and the issues went away, so she stayed gluten-free. I know already I will have my doctor’s approval of my gluten-free lifestyle.

It has been about 10 days since I started eating gluten-free and it has had some challenging moments. I learned the hard way that in order to make specific dietary changes you have to be prepared; I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. But I have things considerably easier than it would have been 15-20 years ago. I can buy gluten-free crackers, cereal, and pancake, cookie and cakes mixes. Most grocery stores carry several different kinds of gluten-free pasta and lots of restaurants have either adjusted their menus or list the ingredients in their food so those who follow a gluten-free diet know what they can and cannot order. I have made a few mistakes so far. Nothing huge, little things but each one increases my awareness of where gluten can hide. For instance, did you know that gorgonzola and bleu cheese are made with mold incubated on wheat? I didn’t know that. So bleu cheese is out.

And how do I feel? Well, better. Not fantastic yet, but definitely better. I was sick for a few days – I am not sure if it was my body detoxing or the flu, but I am better now. I have significantly less heartburn, no stomach cramping, no itchy rashes and my skin is much clearer. An added bonus is my clothes are fitting better. Sadly, giving up gluten has made me realize that there are other things I have been eating that I will probably end up eliminating as well, and if they are not eliminated entirely, they will be consumed rarely.

Just want to finish my post with a salute to my mother, Marolyn Parker. This spring she gave up dairy, this summer she gave up gluten, and she stopped drinking carbonated beverages entirely. She has lost weight, has more energy, and eliminated many of her allergy issues. She visited recently and I watched her enjoy eating out while still sticking to her diet. She helped me realize that it didn’t have to be hard. So thanks, Mom!

Happily Employed!

September 16, 2012

I have been happily working for the last several weeks now. It has been a huge deal finding a job. I sent out resume’s, filled out applications, and visited employment agencies for almost four months and finally one of the employment agencies turned up something promising. In fact, I responded to an email from them (I had responded to other emails like this) and they called me back within an hour and I had the job “for sure” by the following week. I am amazed at how things worked out and really thankful because so far, it is about the perfect job.

I am a teller at a credit union. It is a credit union that has several branches throughout Ohio, but it still relatively small. I have been surprised though, at the amount of business – new accounts, loans, etc. we do considering that our branch is located in a less affluent area and our numbers are compared with branches located in more affluent communities within Ohio. Our branch not only holds it own, but over the last several months we have done better than many of the other branches. 

So my job, basically, is to handle monetary transactions for the credit union members. I take their deposits, make loan payments for them and give them (as long as they have the money) cash from their account. I answer phone calls and give out balances and confirm whether direct deposits have been made or if check # whatever has cleared. When I work the drive through window not only do I hand out lollipops to little kids, but I also hand out dog biscuits to the members who bring their puppies with them. It cracks me up to have a member pull up to the window with their dog on their lap waiting for their dog biscuit – and some of them are big dogs!

For the most part the members are pleasant, my co-workers are respectful and enjoyable to work with, and I work part time. Plus, I get to wear jeans to work. The only down side to the job is that it doesn’t pay well, but that’s okay. The good paying job will come down the road. For now, I love having a job that is low stress and lets me get my homework done.  

Doggone it!

I am not a dog person.  I was actually rather surprised when I learned this about myself having grown up with dogs and actively participated in their care, but it is different when you are more responsible for them.  Because I was the person home during the day and the kids were young when we first acquired Dori (our Chesapeake Bay Retriever) it fell to me to do house breaking and clean-up etc.  I was the one who was upset when Dori chewed a hole in our very expensive Navajo rug, I was the one who was not pleased when Dori entered our house for the very first time and immediately went and pooped in the living room (we didn’t even let our kids play in the living room), and I was the one who was dismayed when I found she had shredded a whole roll of wrapping paper all over the family room.  This is in addition to the fact that she sheds amazing amounts of hair all over the house.  While I have yet to find her standing in front of the open refrigerator, I think she must have figured out a way to do that when I am not around based on the fact that I find dog hair in there.  And yes, while it is astounding that Dori is still alive (she is actually the best dog we have ever had!), it is even more astounding that we have another dog. 

It was a very weak moment on my part and it started with the fact that I love my daughter very much.  She, like my husband, loves animals and really wanted a dog.  My weak moment was finished the moment I laid eyes on the cutest little miniature poodle puppy you have ever seen; she was beautiful!  If only I had known then what I know now…   We named our poodle Elle because we figured a poodle, even a miniature one, needed a snooty, feminine name and Elle has lived up to the snooty part.  But we probably should have named her Calamity Jane because she has been more trouble than four big dogs would have ever been.  She requires watching like a two year old and if she is out of sight for more than 5 minutes we know she has gotten into something.  I was working on homework yesterday and upon finishing some questions I was working on, realized that Elle was not around.  I went looking for her and found her on a table in the basement.  We store the cat food in a Tupperware container that was on the table and she had somehow gotten the container open and was enjoying an early dinner of cat food.  Dog experts say that chocolate is like poison for dogs; they are either wrong or for Elle, it is like iocane powder (The Princess Bride) and she has “spent the last several years building up an immunity to it.” If chocolate was the only thing Elle went looking for then we would be the most fortunate of pet owners, but it isn’t.  Last fall Levi and I were going away for the weekend and we hired a girl to come and take care of the dogs for us.  When she came over so we could show her around and go over dog things she had come from college and had her backpack with her.  We mentioned right away that if Vee (our dogsitter) had anything to eat in the backpack she should put the bag up where Elle couldn’t get to it or Elle would find the food.  It turned out that Vee didn’t have any food in her backpack – only a pack of gum, which Elle found and promptly ate.  (I gave Vee another pack of gum.)  What was amazing to Vee was the gum was in a pocket of the backpack and Elle had to unzip the pocket to get to the gum. 

Elle has found and eaten numerous packs of gum out of my purse and one week it was two packs. Yes, she has to unzip my purse to get to them.  (While having my purse zipped does not deter Elle it does slow her down, so I zip my purse in hopes that I can find her before she has done too much damage.)  The one time was actually funny though because she got stuck (not dangerously so) in my purse strap and was highly frustrated.  She has eaten unpopped microwave popcorn out of my daughter’s book bag, Katheryne’s social security card (that one was not so funny), Cheerios my sister-in-law Kristi has packed for my niece Kaylee if she got hungry and needed a snack, numerous pieces of gum, hard candy and chocolate from my mom purse, and last Thanksgiving she ate half of the cherry pie. It was also around the holidays last year she discovered our neighbors had some really tasty trash.  She got herself into their trash bin and then ate so much she couldn’t get back out again.  It took her several days and a bath to recover from that adventure.  These are just the things it is reasonable to mention.  Being a dog, there are many other things Elle has eaten that you DO NOT want to know about. 

Perhaps now you understand why I am not a dog person.  It is like having a two year old that never grows up or a child who is a discipline problem that never gets any better.  The kicker is that while I am not a dog person and would love to wring their necks sometimes, they have stolen my heart and I will miss them terribly when it is time to say good-bye.  Thankfully, I am not saying good-bye yet.  And when I do have to say good-bye I will have this blog post to remind me of why I shouldn’t get another dog. 

Originality!

This week I have issued a challenge to myself – I wanted to see if I could post something in my blog every day.  Considering that I don’t think I have ever done two posts in one week, it is stretching me a bit.  I started Tuesday and successfully posted Tuesday and Wednesday, but Tuesday it was a poem – hardly challenging since I didn’t write it and Wednesday a recipe, which again, is not my creation.  So today is a challenge, as I need a post and would like it to be something original. 

And perhaps there is my thought for today. 

As a rule, I am very careful to be shallow and conventional where depth and originality are wasted.

Lucy Maud Montgomery

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.

Herman Melville

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

C.S. Lewis

Today you are you,

That is truer than true.

There is no one alive

Who is youer than you!

Dr. Seuss

None of these quotes are mine, so again, lacking in originality?  Maybe.  Or maybe they are good reminders from some of my favorite authors that I need to remember I am an original.  Different – not better or worse - just different than anyone else.  Instead of trying to be anything including original, I need to just be me. 

Cowboy Quiche!

I am a dessert person.  I have a serious sweet tooth!!  If there is sugar or chocolate involved I am there!!  Because of this I usually pick cookbooks with amazing cookie bars, pies or cakes and stay away from cookbooks with “real” food.  I watched the movie, “Julie and Julia” and was so impressed with “Julie” cooking her way through Julia Child’s cookbook that I went out and bought Mastering The Art of French Cooking.  After looking through the cookbook cover to cover I found one dessert recipe (a cake) that I thought sounded good.  I was completely uninspired…by Julia Child anyway! 

Recently I was in Target getting some staples for the house.  Somehow when I walk into Target I always go and wander through the movie department first, and since the book section is next to the movies I wander there next.  That day as I was looking at through the books a cookbook caught my eye.  I have a friend on Facebook who had posted several of this person’s recipes and they had sounded good, so I looked through the cookbook.  My unwritten rule is there has to be more than one recipe that is interesting in order to justify buying a cookbook.  I found more than one recipe that sounded good, so the cookbook came home with me.  Later that evening as I sat down and really LOOKED at the recipes I became excited.  At last I had found a cookbook where I wanted to try everything – wanted to go through it cover to cover.  While I have not set a deadline for making it through the cookbook (as Julie did in the movie), I have started to make my way through the recipes and the one I am sharing today is one I WILL be making again!

Cowboy Quiche

1 pie crust

8 slices of bacon, fried until chewy and chopped

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 Tbsp. butter

8 eggs

1 ½ cups heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, fry the onions in the butter until deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes.   Mix eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add chopped bacon, onions, and cheese and stir to combine.  Pour the filling into the piecrust, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes.   Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the quiche is set and the crust is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!!

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

I have been thinking about this poem a lot lately.  I thought it deserved its own post!  

More California!!

There are many different kinds of beauty.  We think of this most often in our interactions with people, but this is also the case regarding different regions of the United States.  When I first met my husband he had joined the Navy from Colorado and was living in Massachusetts.  According to him, no place was as beautiful as Colorado; I have met others who feel the same about where they are from.  The neat thing about visiting different parts of the United States is getting to see all the different kinds of beauty there are.

I recently vacationed in Northern California and it is not hard to find beauty there.  I have always loved the ocean so viewing the majestic Pacific Ocean was a treat!  But I also love seeing the same plants that are familiar in a different environment as well as new varieties of plants.   For instance, Queen Anne’s Lace is beautiful anywhere, but especially near the ocean.  In a little town south of San Francisco called Half Moon Bay (it was a charming town) I saw my first artichoke plant and Calla Lilies that were as tall as I am.  And all along the coast there is a beautiful ground cover that the locals call “Ice” and it has succulent like leaves with pretty pick and yellow flowers.  Today’s blog is pictures of some of the beautiful plants I saw on our trip to California.  Enjoy!!