DEFUNKING MY RUT!

Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and you feel like you may be losing your edge? Well, I did a couple of mornings last week... not that I really care, because I could blame it on my age or the fact that I really haven't been feeling well at all this year. (still could be my age... menopause, you know!) But the one thing I know is I have to get out of my rut. So... I have spent the morning devising a plan called

" DEFUNKING MY RUT" 

 

I soon realized there were several things I was going to need to include in my plan...

A RUN ON THE BEACH (to help me feel like I am still losing weight)

FLYLADY (to help me get my house back in order)

CARD CHALLENGE (to help me spend time on myself)

FISHING (to help me find peace and patience in the world around me)

 

So today this is my plan... 

• Get up and go for a run on the beach, it was awesome. The sky was clear and temperature was just right. A Perfect morning at the beach. Did I lose weight???? probably not, but at least I feel better!

  • Next: Move my FLYLADY list from my Craft blog to this one so that I would see it everyday. I have slipped out of my daily routine and my house has not had it's "weekly home blessing hour" for quite some time. For those of you who are not familiar with FLYLADY, let we introduce you to a lifesaving friend of mine... Check her out at www.flylady.net and start with the baby steps lessons. Then I completed the tasks in Zone 3, for today.

•  Now to find an uplifting Card challenge that will work both as a crafty project for myself and I can slip a visiting teaching message in it, to send out to the sisters that I visit teach each month. See more details at www.anniespantry.blogspot.com

   

  • Then I am going fishing.... !!!!!!! You can find the recipe here at my food blog. www.thepantrylife.blogspot.com

  
  

  
  

Sweet Shoppe Sunday

Today is National Ice Cream day... This summer Coldstone is featuring some fun retro classics, like hot fudge sundaes, turtle sundaes, banana split royals and my favorite ROOT BEER FLOATS. We also have new Chocolate Malt and Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. So go see my crew for a sweet treat for the beach on this awesome Sunday afternoon.

 

French Fries & Flip Flops...

Today is National Fry Day.... and I can't think of a better way to spend the day than too grab my fry-loving family, put on the rainbow flip flops and make it a FRY-DAY at the BEACH!!!
 

How to Make a Perfect French Fry

If you own a deep fryer, you can make really good fries... HINT: cook them twice. The first cooking is for cooking the inside of the fry and the second to give it a crunchy exterior.

• Use potatoes that have a lower percentage of humidity - Idaho Russets are the best.
• Peel the potatoes and cut them in fries that measure about 1/3 inch on a side. To save on time, try using a French fry cutter.
• Wash the cut potatoes with cold water to eliminate the starch which can cause the fries to stick to one another.
• Cook the fries a first time at 325°F (160°C) for four to five minutes. Remove them and drain off any excess oil.
• As they are cooling, heat the oil to 375°F (190°C) and add the potatoes again, frying shortly until golden brown on the outside.

Tour of Italy ~ Day 1... The Why!

I have always been fascinated with the Italian Countryside and several years ago when we were perusing our dreams of owning our own restaurant, I was given an older copy of a "BON APPETIT" magazine dated May 1997. I have treasured it all these years, knowing that some day I was going to cook and love my way through it. Then, we left the restaurant business and not to long after, I started enjoying the benefits of the "Biggest Loser" plan. Next came our move to the beach and I enveloped myself with the styles and charms of the southern comfort foods of the Carolina's. So, while going through one of my old boxes last month, I came acrossed my magazine and decided that since June was my Birthday month and I have some extra daylight hours to spend in my kitchen, I am going to spend the month on a luscious tour of the Italian Countryside. And I would like to bring you all along with me... Why you ask? Because Italian food is always better when shared with family and friends. So let's have some fun in the kitchen together and let's start off with some yummy.. Check out the full tour at "The Pantry Life"

Tomato & Broccoli Tapenade

 

The Perfect Rose...

        Many times in my life I have been given a single rose, often in celebration of an achievement or as a thank you for a job well done. And as I often do I bring it home, gentle trim the stem and toss it into a vase of water and stick it on the table. Out of the many that I have been given through the years I can only count four that have finished blooming and have become a absolutely PERFECT ROSE!. A rose is a rose and all start out perfectly beautiful, next to poinsettias they are my favorite flowers, so all find a spot in my heart.  But the four I speak of have truly blossomed out as perfect roses, not a flaw to be found by the naked eye. And all four of these roses have a story behind them. Each one of these roses were given to me because of a choice that I made and because of my actions involved, the outcome has had an everlasting impact on my life, just like the memories of the perfectness of my rose. The latest rose being the one that I received at the DAR Spring Tea on Friday afternoon. After the meeting, I had to go over to work for a bit and my rose sat on my dashboard and withstood the warmth of the afternoon sun, It stood up against getting dropped in the dirt as I was getting out of my car when I returned home, It lasted through dinner by laying on my cold marble cutting board, it waited patiently  as I visited and told stories of my afternoon excitement. Finally, around 9 o'clock that evening, when I was able to take the few minutes to trim the stem and stand it's poor droopy head upright in the shelter of the vase. I didn't think it would ever survive... Sunday I paused long enough to change the water, to talk to it and breath in it's wonderful aroma. Then today I left for work, only to return later in the afternoon to find the most beautifully blossomed and perfect rose I had seen in years.

       I share this story because in my haste I could not help but stop and think of all the things that rose had been through since Friday, and even possibly before I had received it, and yet it how somehow turned out perfect.  I paused to reflect on how similar the rose was to the Ladies at the tea or even the state of America it's self right now. How simple it could be, even through all the hardships we face daily, if we would just pause for a moment and gently trim our stems and reset ourselves in the right water, how much easier it would be for us to Bloom perfectly where we are planted!

Afternoon Tea...

I had the most amazing afternoon today. The whole time growing up as a small girl on a farm I have had the wildest dream about someday dressing up in a beautiful dress with a big fancy hat, wearing white summer gloves and going to have tea, just like what I thought a Southern Belle would do. Well today my dream came true. I was invited by a good friend (Jodie) to attend the DAR Ladies at their "Spring Tea". Little did I know that it would be just as stated... Ladies in beautiful bright Spring style dresses in fancy hats enjoying an afternoon of tea, treats and tributes. I was in seventh heaven and enjoyed every minute of it. My Hat goes off to all my new friends, most of which are not Southern Belles at all. Just a smart group of Women, who love and cherish the Freedoms we have by living and raising our families here in America.

monday...

Good Monday Morning... I can't believe that it is the last Monday in February already. Time flies when you have lots to do! :)

Sunday, yesterday, was amazing... Inspite of the fact that my talk in church did not come a crossed the way I had planned it! It seemed very disjointed and more comic relief than inspirational.

But there are three things that I know: 1. We choose to come to this Earth as a "Follower of Christ" or we would not be here and 2. Our main goal here is to study, pray, learn serve and share, to continue to be a "Follower of Christ", so that 3. we can someday return to our Heaven Father as a "Follower of Christ" and earn our Mansions in Heaven. Everything we do here, be it bad or good, helps to contribute to our everlasting exaltation.

In Brother Gonzalez's April 2011 conference address, which was the focal point and foundation of my talk, he shared a thought that really struck home for me... QUOTE: "I testify that we are happier when we follow the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we strive to follow Him, the blessings of heaven will come unto us, I know His promises will be fulfilled as we make and keep covenants and become true followers of Christ...." [close Quote]

I know this to be true because of all the blessings that I have been given in my life. I know that if it was not for him than I would not still be here to today. And I share all these thoughts with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.