From Chaos Comes Happiness

I'm starting to get my groove back with my blog. Can you feel it? The smooth ride . . . my hair flying in the wind . . . the sun shining on my face . . . yes, that's what I feel . . . Blogland . . . it's good to be here. (BIG smile). To celebrate my return to this great land of blog, I thought I'd try a little something different for me. Some sort of schedule by which I can commit myself to. Something to plan for, to think about, to dream of. I think a schedule, of sorts, is just what I need. So . . . without further ado . . . and in my best Maggie Smith impersonation . . . I hereby welcome you & christen thee, "Crafty Schmafty Fridays!"   "What?" you say, "What in the world is Crafty Schmafty Fridays?"   Well . . . Crafty Schmafty Fridays is going to be my attempt at sharing a creative idea, project or piece of art that I completed during that week. If you've read any of my posts this year, a big goal of mine is...

    The last day of Winter break.   An early morning.   Four eggs, over easy, and two pieces of wheat toast. And, of course, our Flintstone vitamins.   Two fresh haircuts, and two sisters laughing and playing and getting along. Life is Good   . . . and . . .   I don't want this moment to end.   Ever.    Happy Sunday to you, my friends.   Peace. 

I'm looking at everything with new eyes lately, wide open . . . as if I have never seen before. I used to think that I was a pretty laid back person - enjoying the little moments in life and not spending time on the negative. But I think I was totally off. And after all that has taken place in our country the past week, I feel like my eyes are wide open . . . for the first time in years. I'm saying yes to a lot more . . . because I finally understand what really matters. When Katie and Ella asked if they could make cupcakes with the dear friend all by themselves yesterday, I knew the kitchen would become a huge mess and I'd be left to clean it up . . . but I said "YES!" Because, all that really matters is that we are living our lives to the fullest - laughing and loving and enjoying our moments - because every single moment is a precious one. And when they held their just frosted and slightly under baked cupcakes out for me to see, my heart filled with jo...

You know when you have one of those meals that just leaves you all warm and fuzzy inside . . . . as if it could be your absolute last meal on this earth? Except you pray it isn't, because you have a whole container of leftovers in your frig that you can't wait to get your hands on. That's how I feel about Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole. Today I told Phil that I think I can eat this dish every single day, and never get tired of it. He agreed. And that, my friends, is a compliment I take very seriously. WE LOVE this dish. And today . . . I am going to tell you all about it. Because this dish is not like your usual Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole. No, not at all. This dish . . . is so much more. It's like . . . coming home. Like . . . a good book, a great glass of wine, that perfect hair-cut, and that first kiss. It's like the first snow fall, and the sound of wood crackling in the fireplace. It's like brown paper packages tied up with string. And YES, ...

I'm about to share a secret with you, my beloved blog friends. Something that many of you will not understand. Something that will cause so many of you to question the very core of my existence. Yes, many of you think  you know me, and I am fairly certain that you do . However . . . I've been hiding something from you all. Yes, I have a confession. Something I must share with you . . . today. I love Spam. Eeeeee-gags!!!!!! SPAM?!?!?! Yes, Spam. Perhaps if I tell you why I feel so strongly, you will better understand.   Primarily . . . it's because of my Dad (insert awwwwweeee here). But in all seriousness (ok, can there be a 'serious' conversation about Spam?), I grew up thinking that Spam was something yummy, and never thinking anything otherwise. My dad was fond of Spam, and I think it had something to do with his time in the service. Dad was an army guy long before he married my Mom and had us kids, and I think he was introduced to it during t...

My friends, today we are going to venture into my kitchen, where I will be sharing just about the BEST cake recipe with you. True, I am not one to do many posts on foods or recipes (I'll leave that to the true food experts, like my friend Mary!) But I have been known to post one or two DIE HARD recipes that truly will . . . Change Your Life. (Remember the chocolate covered grapes? Or my super duper special Chocolate Chip Cookies? Yeah, of course you do.) So today, I'm bringing you another family favorite of ours. And probably, yours too. The thing is, you probably have forgotten about it. But chances are, I'm fairly confident that you have seen, tasted and/or made this very cake at some point in your life. Intrigued? I thought so. Let us begin . . . I was at this stage of the baking today, when I decided I should do a blog post about the cake . . . Have you figured out what cake I was making?  No, not yet? Well, let's move on. After sweating for hour...

I started working out this week. Yep. I've gone three times in the past five days. 1.25 miles on the treadmill. 3 miles on the bike. And 20 minutes of weight lifting and strengthening. It's not a lot, but for someone who hasn't taken care of herself in years, it's just short of a miracle. Don't get me wrong . . . I don't like it. I really  don't like it. And anyone who says they like it, quite frankly, is lying. Well, either they are lying, or they have never had really good cheesecake. Because I am certain there is nothing better in this world than cheesecake. And if you say that working out is better than cheesecake, well . . . you obviously haven't had good cheesecake. But right now, I am working out. And it's good. I go to a nearby Lifetime Fitness Club. It takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to drive there. So, all in all, the whole adventure is over and done in about a 2 hour window. 2 hours x 3 sessions = 6 hours this week, so far, t...

I love coffee . . . (yes, I AM using my Christmas mug!) I love cake . . .   Together, they make a lovely pair. Don't you think? Wishing you a delightful Sunday full of all your favorite lovelies, my friend! p.s. Don't forget to leave a comment on THIS POST to be entered to win an ORIGINAL canvas piece of my artwork! The winner will be announced in tomorrow's Magnificent Monday Vlog!!! Oh, and it's going to be a wonderful Vlog, my friends. I have a few great stories to share! See you then!

I was in a gloomy mood yesterday. Big time gloomy. After what seems like WEEKS of sunshine and glorious weather, it was a cold, damp, rainy day. Not only were we covered with rain drops all day, but I felt like there was a big dark cloud stuck right above my spirit. And it bummed me out . . . BIG time. By 8:30 PM last evening, I was ready to put it all behind me. After tucking in the girls and changing into my PJ's, and knowing that PG was out of town (and I didn't feel much like doing anything myself), I went straight to bed. I think I was already asleep as my head lowered to the pillow. The next thing I knew, it was 6:00 AM and my alarm clock was going off. Sleep. Sometimes our souls just need that. As I showered and got ready for the day, I decided that I wasn't going to let my poopy spirit come out. No matter what the weather was like today, I was going to make the best of it. So, I headed downstairs with a pep in my step, and a plan in my brain. Farina. I...

If the Good Lord wanted me to try and pull the hot, just melted mozzarella cheese (sticking so perfectly to the piece of foil that I just pulled off of the steaming hot zucchini lasagna that my mother-in-law made us for dinner), he certainly would have made me Italian. I am not Italian. The Italians would have certainly let the cheese sit there . . . for just a little bit . . . until it cooled down. yes, the Italians would have known that. Not Me. But I do realize I have a good life. I am unemployed. My mother-in-law made us dinner. I am able to focus 100% on starting a creative biz. I have the luxury of sleeping well after the 5:30AM that I used to wake up at just 8 short weeks ago. I am taking myself on a creative adventure next week . . . alone . . . and will be spending 4 days thinking about nothing but my creative life. Today Ella and I ate lunch outside on a picnic bench, because we could. Just her and me. And because of ...

Years ago, when I met PG, he was a bachelor boy living in a second floor apartment above his dad and step-mom's home. He was as independent (as much as living in a second floor apartment above your parents home) as can be. He was young. And he was . . . troubled. I say this, because I very clearly remember opening his kitchen cabinet one visit, and seeing the unthinkable. Talking about this now is kind of hard for me. So, please bear with me. His cabinet was stocked with what had to have been 6 EXTRA LARGE (purchased from a warehouse club, like Costco) jars of . . . Miracle Whip. Gasp!!!! AAAAAAAAA!!!! THE HORROR!!!! It's amazing to me that we ever fell in love. Because,  my dears, I am a Hellmann's Girl. Always have been. Always will. I mean, I ask you . . . is there really any question as to which it the better mayo? Seriously. PG swears, to this day, that the Miracle Whip belonged to his room mate. To me, it's just as bad as if it belonged to him...

As the Easter holiday quickly approaches, I went back through some photos taken last Easter, and realized that I never shared my lambs with you. Yes, I have lambs. Every Easter. Usually two. And sometimes they are injured. Sometimes they can't hear a darn thing, because their ears have fallen off. Sometimes they can't see out of one eye because a certain four year old has eaten one of their eyes. Sometimes they have a furry coat, sometimes not. It all depends what stage you get to them. Oh, and we have come to universally agree in my family that the best part of them, is their butt (because that piece always gets lots of frosting!) Sorry to be crass, but it is what it is . It starts with their birth . . . compliments of my mom. Mom makes the lambs each year . . . and let me tell you, there is nothing like my Mom's pound cake. Seriously. Once they have been take out their pans, they arrive to my home. Next, we call on the spirit of Grandma Josephine for Gram's ...