My Favorite Things



An Autumn Quote:

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.
-Stanley Horowitz

Good-bye hot humid days! Lightning bugs and butterflies... you will truly be missed. Suddenly, I'm in the mood to go shopping for a new pair of boots. Well friends, summer is slowly coming to an end and before you know it, autumn will be here. I absolutely love the change of the seasons around this time of year and I immediately start to look forward to the great things to come. I can't wait to see all the beautiful fall colors. I'm also looking forward to the crisp, fresh air that's not too hot or too cold... but simply perfect. Soon, I'll be busy planning my menu for Thanksgiving dinner and I'll be even more anxious to start my Christmas shopping.

Okay, can you tell that autumn is my favorite time of year? You know, I was just thinking about how the nanny in 'The Sound of Music' made a song from her favorite things. Oprah even shared a list of her favorite things with the world. I thought it might be fun to share a few things that always leave a smile on my face but first... (Jeopardy question and movie category of the day... What was the nanny's name in 'The Sound of Music?'... Give up yet? The answer is... Maria.) Anyway, here it goes...

My Favorite Things:

How cool is this? Of course, anyone that has spent more than five seconds on my blog will automatically realize that I absolutely love these moving pictures. In my opinion, it adds personality and fun to the page. It seems that I'm becoming somewhat of a collector so... my apologies in advance because I've become hopelessly addicted. C'mon, you have to admit. Just watching the animation instantly gives your mood a boost. 

Decorating is something I'm very passionate about. I've spent an unGodly amount of hours watching HGTV and although my home is still a work in progress, it's coming along. Sadly, this isn't my bedroom but I can soooo see myself sleeping there. Eventually, I may just have a bedroom that looks something like this.





I love this bathroom... love it... love it... love it.

This would be my husband's dream 'man cave.' He would probably spend weeks at a time in this room and I would end up forgetting what he looks like and be forced to remarry.

I also like this living room very much. I love the warm colors and the high ceiling. It's just so inviting and cozy.

Okay, I could actually find pictures like this all day, so I'd better move on to something else or I'll never be able to stop myself.

The library has always been one of my favorite places to spend time, even as a small child. I can remember walking home some Saturday's with an armful of books that I just couldn't wait to get home to read. There's just something so completely awesome about being surrounded by millions of books. They're all alphebetized and stacked nice and neat on the shelves. They're like potato chips and I can never have just one. I always end up going back after two weeks to get extra time on the books that I haven't finished reading. Of course, while I'm there, I end up checking out at least one more. I absolutely despise the 'kindle' and I can't imagine reading books on such a small screen. It takes away the joy of actually stepping into a library, interacting with other people, (even if it's a smile and a simple hello) and searching for that perfect book to get lost in. My biggest fear is that the 'kindle' will cause the extinction of libraries and bookstores across the globe. The same thing is already happening to video stores because of 'Netflix' and 'Red Box,' which I also hate. 

Yes, I'm one of those Twilght people. There's just something special about sparkling men.

It's an Edward thing, you wouldn't understand.

  

Girl Power! Okay, I'm not a huge fan of the skimpy outfit but I do like women who kick ass. Not the helpless, defenseless ones who start off running but trip over a blade of grass, fall to the ground then stay there screaming waiting for the bad guy to catch up to them. How ridiculous is that? Wonder Woman has many amazing abilities including super speed and super strength but even her fashionable jewelry can stop bullets. Not to mention, how many superheroes do you know of that could prevent somebody from telling a lie? Uh huh... I didn't think so. Beware the Lasso of Truth... Oh and let's see if Super Man can find an invisible airplane in the parking lot. Fat chance! Wonder Woman was just that cool.  

Her name says it all. She has the power to control the weather and create any type of natural storm. She can control temperatures, precipitaion, humidity, moisture and create tornadoes, thunderstorms, blizzards and hurricanes. She can fly by creating winds strong enough to support her weight. Did you know that she can even manipulate the air in a person's lungs? She can also control the pressure inside the human inner ear, an ability she uses to cause intense pain. You Go Girl! The woman is beyond amazing. If I were you, I wouldn't piss her off.

What? You killed my man! Now you're going to have to die. The CIA thinks I'm a Russian spy. Well maybe I am, then again... maybe I'm not. Salt was a very good movie. Two thumbs up. I'm surprised it's not already in my collection at home but that's an easy fix.

Okay, since this post is becoming a lot longer than I originally anticipated, I'll only add one more thing that I like. I like to laugh. The world is just way to serious. So, I'll end things with something that I hope makes you smile, too. I hope you enjoy them. Have a Blessed Day everyone.

Stromboli

Not long ago, my husband and I chose to go to an Italian cooking class for our date night. It was called 'A Taste of Italy' and the food was absolutely delicious. We had so much fun that night learning new recipes and cooking together in the kitchen. I wanted to share our favorite from the class and I'm hoping you will enjoy it just as much as we did. Now that Stromboli is requested often at our house, we make this all the time. I think you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make.

Stromboli

1 lb Turkey Ham - Sliced Thin
3/4 lb Cooked Salami - Sliced Thin
White American Cheese - About 12 Slices

1 - 12oz. Pack Moz. Cheese

1 1/2 lb Pork Sausage - Browned in Pan
Mustard (Spicy or Regular)

Oregano, Salt & Pepper

2 loaves Frozen Bread Dough

Rub Frozen Bread with Soft Butter

Thaw until soft & able to work with (follow directions on pack for thawing)

Cut loaf in half & stretch each half about 12 - 14" in length and 5" in width

Lay 2 slices of Turkey Ham down the entire length, follow with 2 slices of Salami

Follow with 2 slices of American cheese and Pork sausage

Put a line of mustard down middle of Sausage and top with Moz. Cheese
Pull one side of dough up and overlap other side - pinching the ends together

Rub soft butter on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper & oregano

Punch holes in top with fork.

Bake at 400 - 450 in preheated oven on cookie sheet with parchment paper until Brown on top & sizzling (about 15 minutes.) Cut and serve. ENJOY!!

Great Independance!

Happy belated 4^th of July everyone! 

You know, I’d like to think that I’ve evolved since my very first post, although this is only my third. My husband, the computer genius of the family, has been helping me since I have about as much computer savvy as a caveman. Anyway, just in case anyone happened to notice, (that is, if anyone besides my kids are even reading this at all), we’ve made a few changes. Hope you enjoy.

Well, our two year anniversary has come and gone and no, I didn't get the 2011 Lexus GX 470 that I really wanted but I heard through the grapevine that 'All you need is Love.' I don't know, I think the jury is still out on that one. Just kidding... hubby... :-)

Hey, if any fellow writers happen to come across this blog give me a shout-out. We can support each other. I'm working on the 9th chapter of my story and I'm trying my best to stop procrastinating. I've been devoting a minimum of an hour a day to the story... okay, most of the time, anyway.

Can somebody tell me why is it that I have to wait until November to see, Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1? I'm going nuts here! (Team Edward!!!) 

By the way, I decided to add a favorite quote... just because I'm in that 'Yoda' kind of mood. (Jeopardy question and movie category of the day.) "Who is Yoda?... Answer... Yoda, appeared in a few of the 1980's Star Wars movies and was master of the Force who was known for his legendary wisdom. 

Okay, I can see you're getting antsy. Here's a quote that I really like:

'In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away.' 

shing xiong

Hey, thanks for stopping by and I'll try my best not to wait so long for the next posting. Take care.

The Day After

Okay so my birthday has come and gone. My face is an inch from the mirror and I’ve been thoroughly studying my features looking for any changes but I look pretty much the same as I did a couple of days ago when I was 43. As a gift to myself, I took off from work, the day of and the day after my birthday. I know what you’re thinking and no, I didn’t have anything huge planned. Since my husband had to work, he’s taking me out to dinner this weekend. Even though I asked, he still won’t give me any hints as to where. He did give me an early gift and a card that I truly love because of the touching message he wrote inside. My older daughter made me an awesome lunch/breakfast, since she’s on a totally different schedule than me, (ahhh… the joys of college life). She also decorated like you wouldn’t believe and baked me a chocolate cake, (my all-time favorite)… bless her heart. Watch out Beyonce! My younger daughter, who has the singing voice of an angel, sang Happy Birthday to me. Thanks Sweetie! I love you. My sister, who lives 7 long hours away from me called, even though she was under the weather and my father called, too. Thanks everyone for making my birthday great!       

God has blessed me to see another year and as usual, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my life. I wasn’t always able to admit this before but I’m finally beginning to come to terms with the fact that I am a… (deep breath)… procrastinator. There, I’ve said it. My name is Dee and I’m a procrastinator and shame on me for passing the gene to both daughters. Here’s the thing, since I’m somewhat of a germ phobic, I don’t put off super important things like laundry and cleaning the house, (at least not for too long). I’m referring to things on a smaller scale, like the book that I’ve been working on for the past, (oh this is embarrassing), couple of years now. Did I mention that I was nowhere near finishing? I have recipes that are collecting dust that I’ve been dying to try out… someday. There’s a list of songs, beside the computer, that are just waiting to be downloaded. For whatever reason, I just seem to get distracted. In my opinion, there should be a procrastinator’s anonymous meeting held in every state to reach out to people like me. I can see it now. The day after New Year’s, People would finally take down those Christmas lights instead of leaving them hanging from their front porch all spring. Just imagine… all the things on every procrastinator’s ‘to do list’ would finally get done. Stress levels would be at an all time low and we could happily check each task off our lists, one by one, without singing, ‘There’s always tomorrow.' Movie category and Jeopardy question of the day: Who was Rudolph the red nosed reindeer’s girlfriend?... The answer is... Clarice.  

So, as I was drinking my coffee this morning, it dawned on me that I should follow through with one of my New Year’s resolutions. (See, I told you… you’ve just witnessed procrastination at its "finest".) I know, I know… I’m a few months behind schedule and the idea is to make improvements in your life at the start of the year. Honest, that really was the plan, really it was. You know, January and pretty much most of the winter was just one of those hectic times in my life and staying focused on my goals was bumped from top priority. The way I see it, it’s better late than never, right?

Anyway, I decided that even though I didn’t receive my invitation to the royal wedding, I still want to go to the U.K. It’s funny because I’m not exactly sure when it was that I was bitten by the British bug but it’s a trip I’ve dreamed about taking for as long as I can remember. Today, after receiving my meager earnings for two weeks of hard work, I stuck $50.00 in an envelope and marked it ‘UK’ in bold fat letters, with a sharpie. Once it was done, I hid it in my super, top-secret, highly classified, ‘if I told you, I’d have to kill you,’ spot. It’s really weird but even though it still feels far away, now, I feel a teensy bit closer to one day making it to the other side of the world.  

Birthday approaches

With a birthday quickly approaching, I’ve found myself enjoying the warmth of the day, sipping a hot cup of tea and pondering quite a bit these days. As I stroll down the road of my 40’s, I’ve come to realize that my life hasn’t turned out at all like I’d originally planned it. I expected my life to be far less complicated, with fewer bumps in the road. The funny thing is, although it doesn’t match the life I’d always dreamed of, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. Those experiences that I’ve had made me who I am. Without them, I’d be an entirely different person, surrounded by entirely different people and I wouldn’t be the same person that I am today. In fact, I would have followed a completely different path that wouldn’t have led me to my second husband who is my best friend and the love of my life. I feel very blessed as I look into the smiling faces of my family and I know without a doubt that I wouldn’t change anything for the world. My life today is imperfect but satisfying, loving but sometimes chaotic and most definitely a work in progress.