50 things...no. 6

"Cooking is an art and patience a virtue... Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing - love. Love for food and love for those you invite to your table. With a combination of these things you can be an artist - not perhaps in the representational style of a Dutch master, but rather more like Gauguin, the naïve, or Van Gogh, the impressionist. Plates or pictures of sunshine taste of happiness and love."
~Keith Floyd



I am grateful for my mother for so many reasons. She taught me the value of the Golden Rule (that being nice really does matter). She gave me a sense of wonder about the world and a love & appreciation for nature...despite the fact that I did not get her green thumb. I inherited her love of reading, and I believe that I passed that on to my kids as well.


One of the things that I'm really thankful for is my mom's cooking...when you think of her, you think of her in the kitchen (or in the garden growing things to cook). She is like an artist with food. She can make the simplest meal taste like a gourmet feast. One of her favorite things to do is to go grocery shopping...she could spend hours in the food aisles. She loves to grow food, to can & jar fruit, to cook a delicious meal and to bake yummy desserts. She does it all with love!


Christmas morning wouldn't be the same without her chipped beef & toast with sliced tomatoes & onions. On Thanksgiving nothing rivals her homemade stuffing & gravy. When we have ham for Easter it wouldn't be complete without her macaroni & cheese and stewed tomatoes. And her spaghetti sauce...it's like liquid gold (priceless).


When you think of your mom, where do you picture her? What are the things she taught you?

50 things...No. 5

"Intellectually I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally I know she is better than every other country." ~Sinclair Lewis

"We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth, peace, security, liberty, our family, our friends, our home. . .But when we look at our flag and behold it emblazoned with all our rights we must remember that it is equally a symbol of our duties. Every glory that we associate with it is the result of duty done." ~Calvin Coolidge

I am sure that if I was born in a different place I would be grateful that I was a citizen of that country. However, I was born in the USA and I am so proud and thankful that I am an American. I love to travel and visit other countries, but I always look forward to coming home. I think my deep sense of patriotism comes from my grandparents (my grandfather was in the Navy) and from my parents (who believed in God, Family & Country).

My family would always sing patriotic songs at family gatherings (if I close my eyes, I can hear them belting out "God Bless America") ...I have great memories of going to my great-grandmothers and watching the 4th of July parade go by... I remember singing "This Land is Your Land" in our junior high school chorus...I enjoy going to baseball games and listening to the national anthem being played...I love having the freedom on election day to vote for the candidate of my choice...I can recall visiting my kid's school in the weeks following 9/11 and hearing the sweet voices of the children say the Pledge of Allegiance...and I am so thankful for the men & women who serve in the military (words could never express my gratitude for them).

I just love the fact that the United States was founded on the ideals of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

50 Things...No. 4

"All you need in the world is love and laughter. That's all anybody needs. To have Love in one hand and Laughter in the other." ~August Wilson



"Love's greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred." ~B. De Angelis




One of the most important things that I'm thankful for is the love that I've had throughout my life. Not a day has gone by that I haven't known and felt love...whether it was from my grandparents, my parents, my husband, my children or my friends (and also from God). Even in the "not so good" times, I've never doubted the love was there. In our family we make sure to say "I love you" and give hugs & kisses. We show our love in the little things that we do...like giving back rubs or foot rubs. I can only hope that my kids will feel the same way as they grow up (I think they will)!



Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I'd like to share some cards that I've made. They can be used for the holiday or for an anniversary...or just to say "I love you" any day of the year. Just click on the link below the preview to download the cards. The first link is a .png file and the second is a .psd....I hope they work ok (I haven't done this for awhile and I'm a little rusty)!

http://www.4shared.com/file/221600360/9c047e9d/love_copy.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/221631057/d4171b11/love.html

50 things...No. 3

"Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the Deity to be a source of delight!" ~John Ruskin

"How sweet to be a Cloud floating in the Blue!" ~AA Hodge

This may sound like a strange thing to be grateful for, but I am so thankful for COLOR in my life.
The deep green of a freshly cut lawn in the spring...the bright yellow of a summer sun...the glorious orange & red tones of an autumn leaf...my daughter's beautiful brown eyes...I just love color! Out of all the colors that you can find on a color wheel (or in nature) my all-time favorite would have to be blue.

To me, blue is...

my favorite pair of jeans
the color of my son's eyes
a relaxing day at the beach
my childhood bedroom
serenity
happiness
my electric blue bicycle
the color of my bridesmaids dresses
a cloudless summer sky
fresh blueberries
tranquility
the kids having fun in the pool
joy!