Soup's On

The weather in sunny California has been anything but sunny lately. Temps have been only getting into the low 60s. One of the things I love about cold weather is being able to serve soups for dinner. My husband, who will really eat anything, doesn't hold soup on his list of favorites. It needs to be hearty and filling for him to consider it a meal.
Here's a recipe for TACO SOUP given to be ages ago by a friend. It is perfect for a cold night. Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you off. It is mostly opening cans! Toss it all in the crock pot in the morning and forget it until dinner. Serve with chips crumbled on top or on the side.

TACO SOUP
1 lb. ground turkey - browned
2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch dressing salad mix
2 cans kidney beans - rinsed
1 can black beans - rinsed
1 can pinto or chili beans - rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 packets taco seasoning
2 cans mexi-corn - drained
1 can Rotell tomatoes

Toss it all in the crock pot and set on low for 6 - 8 hours.
As you can see, it makes enough for a small army. You can make a smaller batch by only using one of each item and not two where it calls for two.
I add tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese on top when I serve it. It's hearty enough that my husband will be happy to call it dinner!

New Ways

This cartoon is a testament to the times in which we now live. Remember when a capital letter meant you were starting a sentence or using someones name? Now it means you are being yelled at by the sender! When I first started emailing and texting, my kids chastised me for using caps. It was rude, loud and should be used sparingly to get your point across, they informed me.
With all this technology comes a new set of rules. Learning these rules is key to staying with the times and not being accused of being a "dinosaur". Understanding all these rules is exhausting me and that makes me feel like a dinosaur!

My Baby

Today, my baby is 29! I know every parent claims, "Where did the time go?!". The fact is, it just goes. We look up while we are busy covering our gray hair and find our kids are adults with their own lives. My son and I are much more alike than he would ever care to admit. Our shared road of life has not been without a few potholes. He has challenged me in ways his sister never did. At the time, these challenges seemed so difficult and hurtful, repair appeared almost impossible.
What changed for us, besides both of us growing up, is that we didn't attempt to dwell on the past hurts and just looked ahead. One cannot fix the past or take back words that were said. We can only go forward and attempt to figure out how to love ourselves and each other today. It isn't a lesson learned once, but one that is learned over and over each day. It is a worthwhile lesson.
Here is what's great about my son: He has a sense of humor that can make me laugh like no other. He is generous to a fault ~ offering help to others when he should be helping himself. He is a persuasive salesman (hmmm, wonder where that comes from?!). He is a survivor.
There's more, but, if he is reading this, by now he is rolling his eyes, so I'll stop.
Happy 30 minus 1, Tyler!

Smiles

A three year old child is a being

that gets almost as much fun out of an expensive toy

as she does laughing in the flowers!

Forget the expensive toys, play with them among the flowers!

You will both be richer for it!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Your Glass

We all know the saying about the glass being half empty or half full. For each of us, the perspective of our glass varies with each day. We'd all like to think we live mostly on the positive (half full) side of the glass, but, truth be told, many of us feel the negative (half empty) side as well. When you live in a society that creates a stirring in each of us to want "more, more, more", it is difficult to stop and access that, maybe, just maybe, what we have is neither half empty nor half full. Maybe it is just enough for right now. One of the hardest things for me is to acknowledge and accept that this place, right here, right now, is exactly where I am supposed to be. As hard as it is, it is also brings a sigh of relief. Always running and forging ahead can be exhausting. Accepting things has somehow gotten a bad rap. Many think of it as giving up, but in truth, by accepting things, we lessen their power over us. Accepting shifts the power from the situation to ourselves.

Today, my cup is just right. I may even be able to pour a little into someone else's cup!

Waste Not

I took these....yucky, black bananas

And turned them into this...chocolate chip banana bread!

I wish this blog had "Smell-O-Vision" because the whole house smells so yummy. Banana bread by itself is a tasty treat, but add those chocolate chips and it is downright sinful! And to think I almost tossed those bananas out, but then I recalled an article I just read about how much food we Americans throw away and I decided to make use of them. I am already thinking about how good it is going to taste in the morning with my coffee. It truly is the simple pleasures in life that make it worthwhile.

Comfort

Why is it when something bad happens in life, people often respond with food? Food is a language we all understand. You make a casserole when someone passes away.
Casseroles = comfort seems to be a gesture we extend to those suffering ~ from an illness, a death in the family, a sadness. I think part of it is that we know we cannot fix the situation or problem for our friend, but we can comfort them in a wordless way with food. In a time when we feel helpless, we can actually make that casserole and feel we have done something. Food is such a basic element to life, a reminder of our need for nourishment even when our hearts are aching or our bodies are broken. It has healing power for both the person who made the food and the person receiving it. We can all take comfort in that fact.

Golden Moments

Sometimes you get back from a run and a delightful surprise awaits you. This morning, darling Abigail, all decked out for her Valentine's party at school (she goes to Mommy & Me one day a week), was waiting to show me how she looked. Once again, I am reminded of the Golden Moments that occur each day. If we are moving too fast or caught up in what is not really that important, we miss them. This moment will keep me smiling all day and I hope it makes you smile as well.

Valentines

I love to make homemade cards. I like them even more if they have corny, play-on-words in them. Amber was in a panic last week because all the kids needed Valentine's for school. Sure she could have bought the ones at Target for $2.49, but what fun would that be?! Here's what I came up with instead.
Maddy need 32 and hers said ~ "Rain or shine. Be my Valentine."

Jack needed 22 and his said ~ "I'll be heart broken if you won't be my Valentine."

Abigail need 11 and hers said ~ "I pick you for my Valentine."

I hope they bring smiles to the kids and parents that open them.

We had fun making them.

Saving While Spending

I like to spend money. The only thing I like even more that spending money, is saving money on the things I buy. I am queen of coupons, bargains, and more. Ordering lots of things on the internet, I rarely pay shipping or full price. Before I "pull the trigger" on an order, I Google the name of the business along with free coupons. Nine out of ten times, I will find one and save 20% or more.
This week's big score for me was at Walgreens. I made my photo Valentine cards through their website last week, but couldn't find a coupon that would apply. I was disappointed, but instead of placing the order, I held out and checked each day to see if one had been posted. Sure enough, this morning they offered 20% + 40% my order!!! For 20 cards, instead of paying $20.00, I paid $8.28!!! I've already had them printed, picked them up and addressed the labels. They were cute to start, but at this price, they are positively darling!!!
I like to save money, but I also like the hunt and victory of saving money. SWEET!

Runner Girl

Today marks two years since I began running. I still have a hard time calling myself a runner. I am more like a "steady, plodder girl", but that is hard to find in print!
Running has changed me in so many ways. On the outside, I have lost weight and toned up, with stronger lungs and heart. On the inside, it has given me some time to find an inner peace and calmness that is not something that comes easily to me. It has given my competitive nature a chance to test and challenge myself. It has allowed me to accomplish things I would have never thought possible.
The first year, I ran eight 5Ks, coming in first, second and third in my age group. Last year, I ran two 5Ks, an 8K, a 10K and two half marathons! If Madame Zola, the gypsy fortune teller, had told me 10 years ago that I'd be running races, I'd have laughed it off and proclaimed her a phony and fake. Who knew?! The running is a surprise in and of itself, but that I love it as much as I do, is quite another. I can't imagine not running. The days I run, I am better able to cope with the things life throws at me. I hope and pray that my health stays strong and I keep injuries at bay. I would love to be that lady in the newspaper article that is still running at 75!