Working on getting everything "labeled". It is a little time consuming but I am liking that in one click I can see all the recipes I have listed!
Lyn
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Recipe Thursday
I believe this is a recipe from a Pampered Chef recipe book.
Fluffy Peanut Butter Dip
1/2 cup cream peanut butter
1 - 8 oz contact vanilla yogurt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 thawed frozen whipped topping
Mix first 3 items and then gently stir in whipped topping. Serve with apples, pear, celery, crackers...whatever your family likes to dip.
I am trying to keep things handy this summer that are on the healthier side and that will fill my boys up. They are growing which means on most days they are eating pretty much non-stop or at least it seems that way.
Lyn
Fluffy Peanut Butter Dip
1/2 cup cream peanut butter
1 - 8 oz contact vanilla yogurt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 thawed frozen whipped topping
Mix first 3 items and then gently stir in whipped topping. Serve with apples, pear, celery, crackers...whatever your family likes to dip.
I am trying to keep things handy this summer that are on the healthier side and that will fill my boys up. They are growing which means on most days they are eating pretty much non-stop or at least it seems that way.
Lyn
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Away time....
Chosen One and I are away for the weekend, sans children. Those little creatures are wonderful but when I have a weekend away I realize how LOUD my life is. How busy and how much movement my life has. And how little time I actually spend with Chosen One.
We are at my aunt's, which is like a mini bed and breakfast for us. She is out of town so we have the place all to ourselves.
So far we have eaten, watched movies, eaten some more and watched more movies. We ventured out a little this morning, burger's here and groceries here, but really we fully intended to stay in and catch up on us time and movies that can't be watched at home with countless interruptions or little ears.
Music and Lyrics, was not a hit with either one of us! Chosen One said "just plain stupid" and while I laughed at parts I really do agree with him.
Ladder 49, thumbs up. Predictable, yes. Outrageous fire scenes, yes. Story, good.
Blood Diamond, now that was a powerful and thought provoking movie. Makes me never want to wear or purchase a diamond again.
Up next......Crash, Out of Time, and Changing Lanes. All pretty intense. Like I said, not ones to view around little ears.
Oh! And more food. Chosen One is fixing it as we speak.
Lyn
We are at my aunt's, which is like a mini bed and breakfast for us. She is out of town so we have the place all to ourselves.
So far we have eaten, watched movies, eaten some more and watched more movies. We ventured out a little this morning, burger's here and groceries here, but really we fully intended to stay in and catch up on us time and movies that can't be watched at home with countless interruptions or little ears.
Music and Lyrics, was not a hit with either one of us! Chosen One said "just plain stupid" and while I laughed at parts I really do agree with him.
Ladder 49, thumbs up. Predictable, yes. Outrageous fire scenes, yes. Story, good.
Blood Diamond, now that was a powerful and thought provoking movie. Makes me never want to wear or purchase a diamond again.
Up next......Crash, Out of Time, and Changing Lanes. All pretty intense. Like I said, not ones to view around little ears.
Oh! And more food. Chosen One is fixing it as we speak.
Lyn
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Why DO I love this book.....
Let me count the ways.
I first spotted Why Do I Love These People by Po Bronson here. And then one day, totally by chance, I walk in the library and there it is. In. And waiting on me (I just know it was!). What are the chances? It had been checked out for months.
The first chapter was life changing for me. This book will be on my shelf for many years. I will smile at it. I will thank it. I will read it again and again.
Now the life changing part is not for everyone. Two years ago my little Rowdy One fell in a pool, fully clothed, while playing knights in shining armor with his brother. His sword fell in and he tried to reach it. He drowned. He had no pulse. He had blue lips. His life was saved by CPR. It was and has been a nightmare for me. I was there along with five other adults. The kids treat this house like there second home. They have swam in the pool and played in the yard, many times. They are familiar, as am I, to the surroundings. It was the day everyone had returned from evacuating for Hurricane Rita. We were all stressed out and this was supposed to be a relaxing evening. Grilling, the kids playing on the fort. It all changed rather quickly. The boys, my two and another that is Wise One's age, were in and out battling the villains that were attacking their fort. They were equipped with swords and a healthy imagination. They were all under foot or out on the fort. We were helping unpack boxes from the evacuation and telling stories about our trip. I went to the bathroom and then was frozen at what I was hearing. The other little boy came into tell his dad that Rowdy One was at the bottom of the pool. I was in a totally different part of the house and it was like he was whispering this information in my ear. I run to find my friend diving to the bottom of his pool to pull my child out. I will never forget what I saw and what went through my head. The nightmare began with those imagines.
At the hospital I had to face my parents and my husband, none of which were at the house. I had to face Wise One, who discovered his brother missing, and help him deal with what he saw and the guilt he felt. I had to answer questions from the drs. Look at the faces of the nurses. Deal with ALL the questions with the tone of how stupid a mother are you.!?
The whole while I had a vision in my head. A vision of Rowdy One struggling to reach the side. Calling for me. Wondering where his mother was. Why she was not there to help him. Save him. Why this water was taking him and his mommy was not helping him. I had a vision of him knowing he was drowning and struggling with it.
I have lived with this vision. At times it has consumed me. At times it has beaten me down. At times it makes it hard for me to breathe.
The next day he spoke of a bright light and reaching out for it, that is a whole nuther post. He spoke of falling in and not remembering after that. We got back in the water a week later. It was fall but we got in the very same swimming pool and swam. He didn't want to go under until the following summer. Now he swims like a fish and talks of getting to ride in an ambulance when he "drownded". That is all he remembers.
I on the other hand still struggle. I have a very hard time watching movies where someone is drowning. I have a very hard time reading about people drowning.
And then I opened this book.......and the first story is about a mother who almost drown. On the second page of the book this is what I read:
..... Some would say her soul was saying good-bye to her bag of bones. Some would say she experienced a hallucination caused either by lack of oxygen or by calming endorphins that numb the brain to alleviate the suffering of death. ......
Calming endorphins!!! What the hell are those and why has no one told me about them? A wave of emotion hit me. It was some relief to know that it very well may have been what happened to Rowdy One. He was taken care of by his amazing body. His fear was subdued.
There are loads of other explanations. Believe me, people feel free to share their opinions on this with me. There is still enough guilt to last me a lifetime. It didn't really alter that. But is was comforting to know that maybe, just maybe, Rowdy One didn't struggle like I imagined. Maybe.
He is a happy, healthy, rowdy one. He shows no ill effects.
I am a grateful, thankful mother. I grew a tremendous amount during this time. I still battle my demons. I am still overprotected. But this book gave me another look. Another side. Some comfort. It helped me grow more.
Thank you Mrs. Mmv for showing me this book. Thank you Mr. Bronson for writing this book. For helping these stories reach other people. It is an Honest and Amazing book of Real People.
Lyn
I first spotted Why Do I Love These People by Po Bronson here. And then one day, totally by chance, I walk in the library and there it is. In. And waiting on me (I just know it was!). What are the chances? It had been checked out for months.
The first chapter was life changing for me. This book will be on my shelf for many years. I will smile at it. I will thank it. I will read it again and again.
Now the life changing part is not for everyone. Two years ago my little Rowdy One fell in a pool, fully clothed, while playing knights in shining armor with his brother. His sword fell in and he tried to reach it. He drowned. He had no pulse. He had blue lips. His life was saved by CPR. It was and has been a nightmare for me. I was there along with five other adults. The kids treat this house like there second home. They have swam in the pool and played in the yard, many times. They are familiar, as am I, to the surroundings. It was the day everyone had returned from evacuating for Hurricane Rita. We were all stressed out and this was supposed to be a relaxing evening. Grilling, the kids playing on the fort. It all changed rather quickly. The boys, my two and another that is Wise One's age, were in and out battling the villains that were attacking their fort. They were equipped with swords and a healthy imagination. They were all under foot or out on the fort. We were helping unpack boxes from the evacuation and telling stories about our trip. I went to the bathroom and then was frozen at what I was hearing. The other little boy came into tell his dad that Rowdy One was at the bottom of the pool. I was in a totally different part of the house and it was like he was whispering this information in my ear. I run to find my friend diving to the bottom of his pool to pull my child out. I will never forget what I saw and what went through my head. The nightmare began with those imagines.
At the hospital I had to face my parents and my husband, none of which were at the house. I had to face Wise One, who discovered his brother missing, and help him deal with what he saw and the guilt he felt. I had to answer questions from the drs. Look at the faces of the nurses. Deal with ALL the questions with the tone of how stupid a mother are you.!?
The whole while I had a vision in my head. A vision of Rowdy One struggling to reach the side. Calling for me. Wondering where his mother was. Why she was not there to help him. Save him. Why this water was taking him and his mommy was not helping him. I had a vision of him knowing he was drowning and struggling with it.
I have lived with this vision. At times it has consumed me. At times it has beaten me down. At times it makes it hard for me to breathe.
The next day he spoke of a bright light and reaching out for it, that is a whole nuther post. He spoke of falling in and not remembering after that. We got back in the water a week later. It was fall but we got in the very same swimming pool and swam. He didn't want to go under until the following summer. Now he swims like a fish and talks of getting to ride in an ambulance when he "drownded". That is all he remembers.
I on the other hand still struggle. I have a very hard time watching movies where someone is drowning. I have a very hard time reading about people drowning.
And then I opened this book.......and the first story is about a mother who almost drown. On the second page of the book this is what I read:
..... Some would say her soul was saying good-bye to her bag of bones. Some would say she experienced a hallucination caused either by lack of oxygen or by calming endorphins that numb the brain to alleviate the suffering of death. ......
Calming endorphins!!! What the hell are those and why has no one told me about them? A wave of emotion hit me. It was some relief to know that it very well may have been what happened to Rowdy One. He was taken care of by his amazing body. His fear was subdued.
There are loads of other explanations. Believe me, people feel free to share their opinions on this with me. There is still enough guilt to last me a lifetime. It didn't really alter that. But is was comforting to know that maybe, just maybe, Rowdy One didn't struggle like I imagined. Maybe.
He is a happy, healthy, rowdy one. He shows no ill effects.
I am a grateful, thankful mother. I grew a tremendous amount during this time. I still battle my demons. I am still overprotected. But this book gave me another look. Another side. Some comfort. It helped me grow more.
Thank you Mrs. Mmv for showing me this book. Thank you Mr. Bronson for writing this book. For helping these stories reach other people. It is an Honest and Amazing book of Real People.
Lyn
Quotes
How many quotes I come across in my day. The TV, the paper, the magazines, the books. All screaming quotes at me. But once in awhile, more often lately, some quotes hit me smack dab in the middle of my gut and say "HEAR ME". Oh sure sometimes they whisper but they still hit me in the gut with the realization that I need to stop and pay attention. This is good stuff I am being told.
Listen...........
Quotes really do help me put life in perspective. I let them sink in. I post them on the refrigerator door. I tell them to my friends and family. I read them to my boys. I keep a log of the ones that help me make sense of my time at. this. moment.
The quote above promises me a cluster of solitude. And I believe it. I will hang on to it. It will get me through this cluster.
Some seem like they are reading my mind. Others I see telling the future. And still some give me great comfort on my roughest day. Oh, sure they are simple. To simplistic for some. But I have found life really is simple. I just make it very complicated most of the time.
Many time I read a quote or hear a saying and look up and say "thank you Lord, I heard it." He really does have to get me in many different ways. I am a slow learner. Putting myself in charge and in control. A quote can really slow me down. He knows my language. I am thankful for that.
A good quote can be like a life raft on a day of drowning.
Enjoy the quotes you hear today.
Lyn
Listen...........
"Life comes in clusters, clusters of solitude, then clusters when there
is hardly time to breathe."
~May Sarton, American writer
Quotes really do help me put life in perspective. I let them sink in. I post them on the refrigerator door. I tell them to my friends and family. I read them to my boys. I keep a log of the ones that help me make sense of my time at. this. moment.
The quote above promises me a cluster of solitude. And I believe it. I will hang on to it. It will get me through this cluster.
Some seem like they are reading my mind. Others I see telling the future. And still some give me great comfort on my roughest day. Oh, sure they are simple. To simplistic for some. But I have found life really is simple. I just make it very complicated most of the time.
Many time I read a quote or hear a saying and look up and say "thank you Lord, I heard it." He really does have to get me in many different ways. I am a slow learner. Putting myself in charge and in control. A quote can really slow me down. He knows my language. I am thankful for that.
A good quote can be like a life raft on a day of drowning.
Enjoy the quotes you hear today.
Lyn
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Reading and Watching
Watching:
Superman
Bringing up Baby I thought Wise One would pee in his pants during the scene where they are trying to leave the restaurant and her dress is torn. F.U.N.N.Y!
Reading:
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Wicked, yes, still working on it. It is very good just been pushed aside for a bit.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo This cover is so endearing to me. A little mouse with his needle sword. This is Wise One's second time around with this book and Rowdy One's first. A very sweet read aloud.
Just finished:
Over the Hills & Far Away by Chris Conover This is a book Rowdy One and I shared together. The illustrations captured both of us. The endpapers show Tom's family tree. The first thing Rowdy One did was recognize that it was a family tree and remember when we made our family trees and hung them on the fridge. I love books like these. My boys "see" themselves. Something familiar about how it all works.
Why Do I Love These People by Po Bronson In another post I will tell you what this book meant to me. It has truly changed me. And it all started in the very first chapter. I love books like this one. This will be a purchase to live on my shelf for the future and it will be a gift I pass on to many friends.
Lyn
Superman
Bringing up Baby I thought Wise One would pee in his pants during the scene where they are trying to leave the restaurant and her dress is torn. F.U.N.N.Y!
Reading:
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Wicked, yes, still working on it. It is very good just been pushed aside for a bit.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo This cover is so endearing to me. A little mouse with his needle sword. This is Wise One's second time around with this book and Rowdy One's first. A very sweet read aloud.
Just finished:
Over the Hills & Far Away by Chris Conover This is a book Rowdy One and I shared together. The illustrations captured both of us. The endpapers show Tom's family tree. The first thing Rowdy One did was recognize that it was a family tree and remember when we made our family trees and hung them on the fridge. I love books like these. My boys "see" themselves. Something familiar about how it all works.
Why Do I Love These People by Po Bronson In another post I will tell you what this book meant to me. It has truly changed me. And it all started in the very first chapter. I love books like this one. This will be a purchase to live on my shelf for the future and it will be a gift I pass on to many friends.
Lyn
Friday, May 18, 2007
Positive Thoughts
"Most of us can, as we choose, make of this world either a palace or a prison."
Sir John Lubbock
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Mothers Day
I have no words for what is swimming in my head. I have no words for what is in my heart.
My coping mechanisms have taken over and hopefully they will get me through.
I am sliding into my shell and riding out the storm.
I want to come here and be hopeful and excited but it all seems so fake. So I just don't.
I will continue to post quotes that help me. Books that I enjoy and recipes that are getting us through but probably not much more right now. It is all to depressing.
My husband and one of my closest friends will celebrate their first Mother's Day without their mothers. Another close friend will celebrate without the person that helped make her a mother. And yet another enjoys everyday she gets to BE a mother knowing cancer could take it all away.
Life is happening at a rapid pace for my circle of friends. We know we can't stop it or even slow is down but we are trying to hang on to each other through the journey. We know there is another side but right now we are just surviving the storm.
There are bright spots. I do smile often. I laugh as much as possible. I always see the sun as a gift. I love and I live. But it is shadowed at the moment with a big gray cloud.
My coping mechanisms have taken over and hopefully they will get me through.
I am sliding into my shell and riding out the storm.
I want to come here and be hopeful and excited but it all seems so fake. So I just don't.
I will continue to post quotes that help me. Books that I enjoy and recipes that are getting us through but probably not much more right now. It is all to depressing.
My husband and one of my closest friends will celebrate their first Mother's Day without their mothers. Another close friend will celebrate without the person that helped make her a mother. And yet another enjoys everyday she gets to BE a mother knowing cancer could take it all away.
Life is happening at a rapid pace for my circle of friends. We know we can't stop it or even slow is down but we are trying to hang on to each other through the journey. We know there is another side but right now we are just surviving the storm.
There are bright spots. I do smile often. I laugh as much as possible. I always see the sun as a gift. I love and I live. But it is shadowed at the moment with a big gray cloud.
Lyn"First do what is necessary, then do what is possible, and before long you will find yourself doing the impossible."
Frances of Assisi
Friday, May 04, 2007
Big Plans
Wise One turns NINE on Sunday.
Nine years old.
Not eight. One less than ten. Oh, the poor mother's heart!
We have a movie sleepover planned for Saturday. We will be veiwing: Back to the Future, Space Jam and Night at the Museum. We will have pizza, popcorn and cupcakes and share them with two family friends. So that will be four boys under the age of ten to watch giggle and act silly and make loads of bodily functions, I am sure!
Then on Sunday we will go here as a family to see this exhibit.
I really can't believe he is NINE!!!
Lyn
Nine years old.
Not eight. One less than ten. Oh, the poor mother's heart!
We have a movie sleepover planned for Saturday. We will be veiwing: Back to the Future, Space Jam and Night at the Museum. We will have pizza, popcorn and cupcakes and share them with two family friends. So that will be four boys under the age of ten to watch giggle and act silly and make loads of bodily functions, I am sure!
Then on Sunday we will go here as a family to see this exhibit.
I really can't believe he is NINE!!!
Lyn
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Guess where I was today?
I was at Rice University to see him.
He was calming. He was inspirational. He was witty. He was awesome. I listened more and spoke less today.
Thanks e for sharing this experience with me.
May I also recommend The Art of Happiness.
My favorite quote from today " ....what matters is six billion people and one Earth." Basically, we are all the same. All human beings. All gifts to each other.
Compassion. Love. Forgiveness.
Lyn
He was calming. He was inspirational. He was witty. He was awesome. I listened more and spoke less today.
Thanks e for sharing this experience with me.
May I also recommend The Art of Happiness.
My favorite quote from today " ....what matters is six billion people and one Earth." Basically, we are all the same. All human beings. All gifts to each other.
Compassion. Love. Forgiveness.
Lyn
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