Crossroads………

 

Every now and then I think about the turns that life takes and I think back about all the crossroads I have come to…….

All too often I believe I can easily get distracted by all the little things on the surface that are going on around me and don’t notice that I am at a point where I need to make a choice that will make a real and lasting difference in where I am going.

I have probably missed many opportunities all together…because change is very intimidating and stepping outside of my comfort zone makes it easy to stay on the same old well beaten path. 

So I am asking myself a few questions and looking for something inside that rings true:

Who am I?
Where am I going?
What do I really want from life?
What should I really change?
How can I grow into a better person?

I’ve seen many paths….there are constant changes every time I come to a crossroads …sometime is has been because I was so ready  to get out of the situation I was in….

Most of the time I was lucky enough to make turns at the junction that completely turned me around to the point that I was headed in a good direction. Unfortunately, I may have spent a bit of time going in the wrong direction….which of course helped learning some very hard lessons!

More questions:
What truly makes me happy?
Who do I really enjoy being around?
What are my real values?
Is this the right time to make a change?

After taking some time to answer and listen….. hopefully, I will see the crossroads for what they really are, opportunities!

Opportunity…. for me it answers these questions:

Is my heart happy?

Am I being true to myself in my current situation?

Is the direction I am considering one that takes me closer to where I want to be?

Will that path conflict with the values I already know I am not willing to compromise?

Am I doing my part to make our family work together to achieve our goals?

Today I want to be able to say I would rather have tried something and have failed than never to have tried at all and wonder forever what would have happened or where could I have been.

What I always hope is that I have taken away from every situation a lesson.  Because of  good parents, I am wise enough to recognize too, that I have the power to create my very own crossroads.

Whining, complaining, and staying unhappy doesn’t have to be a choice. Work, sacrifice, and a lot of effort are the productive tools to get me on the path where I belong.

As for me, I am asking the questions…..I believe the answers tell me…..I have a pretty good idea of where I want to be………..Family Forever!

 

Thank you family for helping me along the way….I hope I have brought you along the journey with me that has filled your life with joy, happiness, peace, and a love for each other that will never grow dim. 

LeAnn

Moments So Dear

Raspberry Cheesecake Parfaits

After a morning of Backyard Waterslide Splashing…we needed something to snack on.

Raspberry Cheesecake Parfaits were fun to make and even yummier to eat! 

As you can see I am not the perfect parfait maker…nor are my photography skills and presentation above average by any means!

didn’t seem to bother these two that there were drips on the side of the glasses!

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• Approximately 1/3 cup red raspberry seedless jelly
• 8-12 ounces fresh raspberries, sweetened to taste with sugar if needed….ours were delicious without today!
• 8- 12 Golden Double Stuffed Oreos - crushed
• 2-4 whole raspberries for garnish

Instructions

1. Mix cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice, till creamy. Mix in the well whipped cream. Set aside.
2. Gently melt the jelly in the microwave, stir to make a smooth jelly. Cool slightly.
3. Use 2-4 glasses, depending on size of dessert you desire, and start layering the ingredients starting with crushed Oreos, then the cream, then the jelly, then the raspberries. Repeat and end with a layer of cream, a few sprinkles of Oreos, and  garnish with a couple berries on the top!

Breakfast Empanadas

Breakfast is a very important meal at our house.   I love when I find a recipe that is not only a hit with the family, but tasty and transportable as well, given my tendency to be running late at all times because somebody doesn’t want to get dressed, put on their shoes, or get into the car seat!    

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese of choice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 large eggs, beaten
• 1 (17.3-ounce) can refrigerated jumbo flaky biscuits
• 8  Bacon Slices, cooked and crumbled
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• feel free to add your favorite ingredients…mushrooms, tomatoes, chives…etc!

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until blended; stir in cheese.
3. Melt butter in a 9-inch skillet over medium heat; add eggs, and cook, without stirring, until eggs begin to set on bottom. Draw a spatula across bottom of skillet to form large curds. Continue cooking until eggs are slightly thickened but still moist.  Remove from heat, and let cool.
4. Flatten each biscuit into about a 5-inch circle. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over tops of dough circles, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. Top evenly with scrambled eggs and bacon.
5. Fold dough circles in half over mixture, pinching edges to seal; place, 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
6. Brush tops evenly with egg white; press sealed edges with tines of a fork.
7. Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove empanadas to wire rack, using a spatula. Serve warm

Be very careful to not overfill the flattened biscuit…I have a tendency to want to do that.  Today I was mindful of my habit and they honestly turned out perfect!   Makes 8 very nice Breakfast Empanadas. 

Store leftover empanadas, completely cooled, in zip-top plastic bags or wrapped in plastic wrap in refrigerator. To reheat, wrap empanadas in paper towels and microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) for 1 to 2  minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Happy to report that the fuzzy fussy eater at our house (4 year old) asked for one of the leftovers at 10:30 PM…WAHOO!

Hip Hip Hooray – It Was Warm Today

 

A Day of Fun -

Sprinkler and slide fun…no pictures

BBQ and Cake…no pictures

Tie-Dye Shirts messy but cool

Squirt and splatter…

All over Grandma’s hand…………..

Ready to wear!

On to the backyard movie time…we wait and wait and wait for it to get dark enough…Dusk at 9:15

We roast marshmallows and strawberries ….a few S”mores…in our little fire pit!

Our Movie choice …………..Nut Job…

We thought is was going to be the story of how the squirrel learned to survive in the big city…well it was more like some violent, crude humor……….. Smacking, kicking, farting, and burping…..which of course Little Man thought was extremely funny.   He didn’t spend to much time watching….

lots of running around and getting really close to the big screen!  The day was worth it……..just to see his big smile!  

Memorial Day Weekend

The backyard water hose and sprinklers are put to good use today with the temperature reaching into the 80’s ….

Tomorrow the forecast is for a high of 86 degrees……..we couldn’t be happier!

Flowers for Decoration Day

Yes, I know it is now called Memorial Day.
Yes, I understand the purpose of this day is to honor those who have fought for our freedom.  Yet, I am not a fan of war.  War kills people and destroys human creation; but as though mocking war's devastation, flowers inevitably bloom through its ruins and life returns to what war has destroyed. I am grateful to all those who have fought for our freedom and I  honor their service. 
Yes, because of my family traditions I know it is also a day devoted to picnics, road races, graduation celebrations, and hopefully a few double-headers. 
My grandmother was one to celebrate this day with flowers from her garden – taken to the cemetery to adorn the gravesites of those who have passed on.  She did it faithfully every year of her life.

Driving along the road I happened to notice the flowers she always used on Decoration Day. Memories immediately came to mind about how much I loved being her granddaughter and being able to walk along side of her as she carefully placed those beautiful flowers. 
The quote from Neil Gaiman seems so fitting for how I remember her wisdom and Decoration Day.

“I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously,
that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it,
that you will be loved and that you will be liked,
and that you will have people to love and to like in return.
And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now),























that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”

May we all enjoy our freedom, our blessings, and our loved ones.  And may our gardens grow with peonies, snowball bushes, and bridal wreath…to celebrate life anew!

Our Last Day of Toddler Baseball Camp ~ And We Are Already in Love

What kind of love is the best kind of love?
The one above all the rest of the loves?
Grab a hat, a bat, a ball and a glove
It's the love that I feel for you.

 
What kind of day is the best kind of day?
Makes up for all the rest of the days?
The park, the backyard, I don't care where we play
As long as I'm with you.

 

You know I miss you deep inside.
I wish we could go outside
To have a catch or two...

 

What kind of place is the strange, scary place?
And who put these tears and this dirt on my face?
No matter the score or the count at the plate,
I'll still be swinging for you.

Cause I need you in my life,
I wish that we could go outside.
Just to have a catch or two,
Me and you.

What kind of love is the best kind of love?
The love above all the rest of the loves?
Take the ball, the hat, my bat and my glove
They're a whole lot of nothing without you.

And I'll be waiting here outside
Spring or fall, rain or shine
To have a catch or two. . .
Cause your kind of love is the best kind of love
The best that love could ever do.

Maeve Binchy’s Last Novel ~ A Week in Winter

Ms. Binchy passed away in July 2012, shortly after she completed this book.  A Week in Winter is a warm and cozy read that looks right into people’s hearts and lets us see intertwined lives touching one another. I am sad to say it wasn’t my favorite Binchy book. The book starts with Chicky who grew up in Stoneybridge, on the Irish coast, and ran off to America with a boy who came for the summer.
Chicky’s family thinks she’s a wicked fool to run away with him. So Chicky doesn’t tell them what’s really happening:

She wrote home week after week and believed in the fairy tale more and more. She started to fill a spiral notebook with details of the life she was meant to be living. She didn’t want to slip up on anything.
To console herself, she wrote to them about the wedding. She and Walter had been married in a quiet civil ceremony, she explained. They had a blessing from a Franciscan priest. It had been a wonderful occasion for them, and they knew that both families were delighted that they had made this commitment. Chicky said that Walter’s parents had been abroad at the time and not able to attend the ceremony but that everyone was happy about it.
In many ways, she managed to believe this was true. It was easier than believing that Walter was becoming restless and was going to move on.

Chicky does quite well, even after Walter leaves her. When her nieces talk about coming to visit, the kind husband of her letters suffers a tragic accident. And then, after some time, she goes back to Stoneybridge and purchases the Stone House on the water, using a “legacy” that is really her own hard-earned savings. She works with the last remaining Miss Sheedy (of the three sisters who had owned the house) to make it into a hotel.
Next, we take a look at Rigger, the son of one of Chicky’s friends. He gets into trouble, and needs to leave Dublin for awhile. He comes to work for Chicky, and meets a girl and starts settling down.
Then there’s Orla, Chicky’s niece, wanting some change after her best friend in Dublin gets married. She comes to work for Chicky, only for a year, which turns into more than a year!
Chicky is finally ready to welcome the first guests to Stone House’s big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated elegant bedrooms.
1. John, the American movie star, thinks he has arrived incognito.
2. Winnie and Lillian are forced into taking a holiday together….and get trapped in the cave when the tide comes in and must be rescued. 

3. Nicola and Henry, husband and wife, have been shaken by seeing too much death practicing medicine…and leaving Cruise Ship Doctoring behind!
4. Anders hates his father’s business, but has a real talent for music.
5.  Miss Nell Howe, a retired schoolteacher, criticizes everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone’s relief.
6. The Walls are disappointed to have won this second-prize holiday in a contest where first prize was Paris.
7. Freda, the librarian, is afraid of her own psychic visions.
With each person who comes to visit, we get to look at their life leading up to this momentous week, as well as at how the week changes them.
The story is gentle and cozy. No big earth-shaking moments, but lots of rejuvenating ones and life-changing ones for the guests involved. One guest does manage to shake off the charm of the place….the ornery Miss Nell Howe (Retired teacher)  but most will leave the better for their vacation.  My biggest complaint about this book….there were so many “Short Stories” about people’s lives.  It seemed to me like Ms. Binchy knew this would be her last and she wanted to touch on each of the character she still had in mind for novels.   Each short story could have been made into it’s own.
Thanks for the photo Mary Clare…the real deal!