Mommy Dearest

Last week my Mom called me and asked me to tell her what some of her life's accomplishments were. My first thought? "Are you writing your obituary?" Turns out she was writing a profile on her life for a project she is working on at her job. My Mom stayed at home with my brother and I until the early 90's and then she went back to work part-time as an administrative assistant at my Dad's office. The activities that we were involved in while growing up was a full-time job in itself. I remember her always driving me to a pratice or a lesson, she was an incredibly dedicated mother. Do you ever hear people talk about how their Mom is the best? Well, I'm trying not to be biased but my Mom is the best Mom ever ;) Not only that, she has some amazing accomplishments:

• Judge for African Violet shows in St. Louis
• Belongs to multiple quilt guilds and has won numerous awards for her quilts
• Recently received her certification for master gardening
• Dedicated activist for multiple rescue programs, saving numerous cats, dogs, and rodents.
• She's a runner too! Years back she won a race in her age group!
• Raised 2 beautiful and successful children :)
• A successful businesswoman, and taking a hobby and turning it into a legitimate business: Simply Soaps

I'm proud of my Mom, she's pretty amazing and talented! I am so thankful for the strong friendship we have and love her so much!

Livin' the Dream

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.

~Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

I took this picture today when we were at our first annual Rural Day BBQ (or possibly being re-named Dutch piss and clementines BBQ, more on that later!). Living in Iowa definitely has it's pros and cons... but on this 60 degree day in March, in rural Oxford (off the grid), watching our dog play, relaxing with friends, shooting cans, riding 4-wheelers, and listening to cows moo, and cooking up an amazing meal.... it really don't get any better than this. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Welcome to March ~

Is it just me or is time just flying by? It's almost Spring!!!! March 20 is the official first day and that just happens to be Bill's birthday. Needless to say, both events are a good cause for celebration! Both Bill and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. And Speaking of being grateful.... try this 'Copycat' Shamrock Shake. It saves me from having to leave the house and go to McDonald's! I'm typically a butterscotch malt girl when it comes to getting something sweet... but I love me a Shamrock Shake when the season is right.  

McDonald’s Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe

3 cups good quality vanilla ice cream (We love Breyer's Natural Vanilla)

1 3/4 cups milk (We use Horizon Organic 2%)

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (or if you are feeling wild, try 2 full shots of Creme de Menthe!)
Green food coloring if desired (this gives it the authentic look of the shamrock shake but I try to avoid food coloring whenever possible! Do what you like with this one....)

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until completely thick and smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and serve!

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

~Irish Blessing

KONY 2012

KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice. It's worth the 30 minutes to watch. The story is unsettling and amazing that people of the world are taking it upon themselves to stand up and fight against these crimes.

From http://www.snopes.com/ (because of course I have to make sure this is a true and legit story) : "A new campaign spreading across the Internet says it has one goal in mind: Make Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of the violent Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) "famous" so he can be brought to justice.

The campaign may be working. #StopKony has been trending worldwide on Twitter, and as of this writing, the video "Kony2012" has almost two million views on YouTube."

 

It's A Girl!

Have you ever met a person that you had this wonderful feeling about? That gut feeling that there was something about them... something very special but you couldn't quite put your finger on it at first. That's how I feel about my friend, Calla Jayne. We met and I knew we had a great connection and the more and more we got to know each other, there was just an amazing sense of a incredible friendship blossoming naturally. She is kind, compassionate, smart, hilarious... and now she has a mini-me. I'm so excited and happy to announce that Calla and Tyler welcomed their first child into the world last week, on leap day to be exact! A very special baby with a very special and unique birthday! I had to bring my camera when I visited the hospital. Porter was such a trooper, she was about 14 hours old and she was so peaceful!

Porter Josilynn

February 29, 2012

Sleeping peacefully

Momma's Little Girl

Starting to wake up

Hi Mom

My favorite

Weekend Lunch

I love a good recipe especially when it's easy and delicious! I've found this one courtesy of Pinterest (surprise!) and this weekend was the third time we've made this and I figured it was time to share! Get creative with this.... you certainly don't have to follow my guidelines. Each time we've made this we've used whatever provisions we've had. Have fun!

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sammies

Start by chopping a sweet yellow onion. Melt a stick of butter (yes, a stick!) and then add the onions to the butter. Add 3 T. of dijon mustard to the onions and butter mixture and stir. You have the option of then adding 2 t. of Worcestershire sauce and 3 t. of poppy seeds. I had neither of these on hand so I just did the onions, butter, and dijon. Cook this mixture until the onions are soft and golden brown. Take your package of King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and cut the entire loaf in half lengthwise. Cover a 13x9 pan in aluminum foil and place the bottom half of the rolls in the bottom. Spread the onion mixture on the roll and save about 1/4 a cup for the top of the rolls.

Now you can load your rolls with the meat and cheese and toppings that you prefer! The options are endless.... We used about a 1/2 pound of shaved, smoked turkey and 5 slices of sharp cheddar cheese. (The recipe did call for 7-8 slices) Load the meat on top of the onions and then add slices of cheese evenly. We decided to add tomato and spinach to ours. Whatever ingredients you choose to add, just make sure to add the cheese on top.

Take the remaining onions mixture and add spread on top of the rolls. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cut down the roll lines for little sandwiches.