tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45875635472277917772024-03-13T03:31:23.744-07:00Kansas Skinny GirlThis is about skinny me and my love of food.........and other interesting things.............Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-33873368018276548502011-11-20T16:41:00.000-08:002011-11-20T16:41:56.111-08:00Notspa restaurant updateI learned that you have to choose your breakfast or it is automatic...........I called in biscuits and gravy- big fluffy biscuits and super-charged flovor in sausage gravy!!! and the best personal pan pizza I ever had, really- except the ones I cook- hot melty cheese crispy on the edges. lightly browned crust and good sauce!<br />
<br />
home on tuesday!!!Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-64411534067697112072011-11-19T19:23:00.000-08:002011-11-19T19:23:40.380-08:00Foodie at the notspa.......Here I am at the notspa.........yes, still incarcerated at the hospital. Same story, day 8. Love my doctor for being conservative, but Come On Man! I want to go home. I have been watching hours of the Chew, food Network and even a few reruns of Julia Child- laugh out loud.......But what is the fun of watching food shows if you can't go try what you just watched? I want to get flour all over my kitchen floor and sauce on my ceiling. Hubby is amazed at the one man wrecking crew I can create in a kitchen. what I would not love to be Mario Batalli and have 15 "Sue" chefs cleaning up after me!<br />
<br />
so let's talk about Hospital food. The former food boss of the Salina Country Club is now in charge of the hospital kitchen and I have to say- the food is good. I love the moist and gooey chocolate cake-the best. And being kansas skinny girl I eat one with every meal and they weigh me AFTER I eat! Naahaa!<br />
being here 8 days, I have completely circulated through the main menu.<br />
Breakfast, breakfast is bad, tasteless scrambled eggs and oatmeal not from Ireland- but I have not invested a lot of time in my breakfast choices- My best- a coke with pellet ice, cashews and a Russel Stover chocolate at 5:00AM.<br />
But, fear not, lunch and dinner have been tasty. Hot turkey sandwiches with gravy over white bread and mashed potatoes- It had flavor! Goulash like elementary school, a cool chicken salad on croissant, chunky chicken noodle soup, Beef and noodles, Chicken and noodles, meatloaf and from the menu of our country club.....the double bogie. ~An open face steak sandwich on garlic toast with battered onion rings. That is not your typical jello and soup meal. <br />
I miss my heavy hand with garlic- beware you Twighlight fans.........I miss my organic Hawaiian sea salt. I miss Watkins beef stock. But if you ever need a Grandma, I just want Kansas soul food- come to the hospital cafeteria. There is something healing in noodles.........<br />
I have had carry out. Sonic makes the best chocolate milkshakes! I got a Chipotle burrito, laCasita enchiladas, Carolina BBQ and Marcia bear's homemade chili. I got 100 pumpkin balls with whipped cream that I finally turned over to the nurses, cookies, chocolates, cheeze-its.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g3ge1MIppB0/TshyhaPDasI/AAAAAAAAAGY/dYsEqY8g25Y/s1600/choco+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g3ge1MIppB0/TshyhaPDasI/AAAAAAAAAGY/dYsEqY8g25Y/s1600/choco+cake.jpg" /></a></div>Food is healing, familiar, personal. Food is my stress reliver, especially when I cook it. choppin broccoli.......being here so long is stressful, but at least I can enjoy the meal- even when I eat dinner at 5:02pm. Maybe that means I get to eat twice!Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-43674971611318294672011-11-18T07:39:00.000-08:002011-11-18T07:39:16.544-08:00TrustUp not as early...... looking forward to no bubbles today..........The kind people of the night did not wake me up so early today. :) per doctor's orders..........<br />
Being stuck in a small room, thank God for the window, it has made me think of so many things. What is trust? I trust that you will finish that homework assignment, I trust you will pick up the cleaning, I trust you will tell so and so to come by at 5, I trust that my new car will work and has gas in it. Those trusts are more like expectations. I trust/expect that my lights will turn on and my refridgerator is working. I trust/expect that when I send a letter it will get through our Postal Service.<br />
But the kind of trust that you have to hang on the edge and you have no control over, is the trust I am talking about. I trust that God is hearing our prayers and will seal up this lung. I trust my Dr. knows everything and chooses the best care for me. I trust that my nurses know what they are doing. I trust that I will get better and go back to work. When you are in relationships you have to put out that kind of trust. The kind that if it doesn't work, you will be hurt and singed and it will be hard to get over. Life has expectations and it has trust. Trust takes guts. It takes the conversations with yourself "should I give over to that possibility?" But when it works and you have that trust, it is all so worth the worry. That complete and peaceful feeling that yeah, I trust in you or I trust in that and I feel safe. That's what I have with my husband, my mother, Dr. B and all the rest of my friends and family that have come to me in my hour of incarceration. Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-55921711616078178242011-11-17T04:36:00.000-08:002011-11-17T04:36:39.325-08:00be spontaneous?Still here...........in the movable hospital bed, with my own flannel sheets, zebra blanket, snoopy (my travel assistant for 40 years), everything in my bathroom from home, one pair of UGGS, notebooks, paper, pens, magazines, lotions sea salt spray, treats, cardigan sweater, robe, 5 pairs of pajamas, neck roll pillow, Cokes, socks, Harry Potter t-shirt, perfume, my chiropractor, and massage therapist have been here...............Just like the movie the Quiet Man..........I need my things around me- since I may be here a while.........<br />
Dr. B says I look mahhhvulous...........<br />
<br />
Slow leak in my tire.........pppffffsssssttttttttt................<br />
tiny tear in my left upper lobe that is slow to close<br />
Sick, wet tissue paper Cystic Fibrosis lungs<br />
spontaneous pnuemothorax <br />
that means your lung all of a sudden pops and then collapses<br />
This is the third time it has happend to me-3..........<br />
<br />
Is this the new every 4 year, slow your ass down plan? We don't know. Do I feel bad? no,I feel really good and strong this time- except I have a 6 foot tube tied into my chest. Which give me the heebie jeebies. I about freaked my darling husband out when I thought I accidentally pulled it.- it was fine, but he got out of the room really fast just in case of emergency :) My, baboo..........<br />
<br />
but this "spontaneous" part of this lung issue puts me in a spin.........I am not spontaneous, unless it is a teachable moment.......I plan my attack, my recipes, my shopping, what I am wearing the next day, what errands I am running, lesson plans, vacations, retirement, parties---they are all planned ahead. I try to be romantic and spontaneous but even that is hard. I am a woman of tradition and doing it the way my mother, aunts and grandmother did it---SPONTANEOUS PNUEMOTHORAX IS NOT MY TRADITION! AAARRRRGGGGGG (picture Kermit the Frog yelling that). I like that order, I love that TV shows are on the same time each week, I love that classrooom "oh we have to go to lunch at 11:46 feeling"- there is comfort in knowing ahead. Write it on the list and then cross it off!!<br />
<strong> - but there is adreneline in being spontaneous...............</strong><br />
maybe spontaneous is a good mixture, maybe this is the universe saying- Well "Miss plan-all-out", it doesn't always work that way, but maybe I shouldn't hate the spontaneous- maybe I should take a different route, go out to eat just because, call a friend you haven't in a long time, try not to control and plan it every second. do something that is not on my list........................but maybe, hhmmmmm, I should look at a different list, maybe I should get out that bucket list...............Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-37504288663054011142011-11-13T07:27:00.000-08:002011-11-13T07:27:23.478-08:00I am not at the spaSometimes it is nice to get away. From work, from laundry, from bills, from it all. It may just take an evening in the bubble bath with a glass of wine. Sometimes you can go to the spa at Aveda. Well I am not at the goddam spa..............I am at the hospital. Friday 11-11-11 at 11:11am, weighing 111pounds I checked in with slightly deflated left lung. Talk about deflated, that is how I felt, knowing what is ahead. This is the third time this has happened to me. Good news bad news...........good news I am educated in my care, bad news I HAVE NO CONTROL! someone takes me to the bathroom, helps me shower, makes my dinner, gives me my pills, gives me my breathing treatment in the wrong order and I have to ask for a Coke. Being fiercely independent this part is a kick in my gut and a lesson in patience. but what this moment has given me also is a moment to stop and think about when I am so bossy and I control my environment so craftly, how do the other people and kiddos feel when I do? do I need to give them more choices? do I need to not do so much? Thinking about it from the other side..........after a 2 am morphine shot.<br />
<br />
The health report...........My left lung has a small leak. Bubbles are not good when you have a leak in your lung. I am hooked up to a litlle vacuum on the wall. It goes everywhere I go- I named it Argyle... It keeps my lung inflated. But it shows a little bubble.<br />
Bubbles are bad when you are on a vacuum. I am on IV antibiotics and steriods. I will be on the mend and strong in a few weeks. but pray for patience, for me, for Kelly, for my parents...........<br />
<br />
watch for the hospital foodie update.....................Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-27699410411609535552011-07-18T07:53:00.000-07:002011-07-18T07:53:57.121-07:00When a plan comes together.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xgvapR1Dmgg/TiRFsFk2o6I/AAAAAAAAAF4/Ecki9h94U7o/s1600/july2001+12yc+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xgvapR1Dmgg/TiRFsFk2o6I/AAAAAAAAAF4/Ecki9h94U7o/s200/july2001+12yc+040.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> <br />
Hannibal of the A-team always said, "I love it when a plan comes together." That's how I felt after I made chicken artichoke risotto this week. After a tough week I took the night off and decided I needed some therapy. That means risotto night. There is nothing like stirring and thinking, add some more broth, stirring and thinking. To me risotto is a metaphor for life. You know going in, it probably will take a while to be just right. You have to keep working at it, coaxing it, never walking away from it- or it could be ruined. Constantly monitoring and adding things just at the right moment. And then when you think it will never be finished, all of a sudden it is perfect. You add just the right flavors and wa~la...You sit down and experience joy, and this time, in a bowl. <br />
When I sat down in my newly rearranged living room, I said to my self..."Self, you are amazing. Did you know you were such a good cook? Pat yourself on the back for this one." I think we all need to take a moment and remind ourselves we are amazing. Whether you can create risotto from scratch, deal with death, manage a household, run kids back and forth, work full time, go to school or whatever you do,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">YOU ARE AMAZING!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBx2fslUjRE/TiRGGJz5HHI/AAAAAAAAAF8/9ZE3E-l-xV8/s1600/july2001+12yc+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBx2fslUjRE/TiRGGJz5HHI/AAAAAAAAAF8/9ZE3E-l-xV8/s320/july2001+12yc+043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<strong><u>Marg's chicken artichoke risotto recipe</u></strong><br />
<strong><u><br />
</u></strong>2 quarts chicken stock <br />
2 T unsalted butter <br />
1 T olive oil <br />
1 shallot, finely chopped <br />
1 Cup arborio rice <br />
1 cup dry white wine <br />
Salt and pepper<br />
1 cup cooked chicken<br />
1/2 bag frozen artichokes<br />
Lemon zest<br />
juice from 1/2 lemon<br />
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese<br />
Chopped fresh parsley and thyme<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Directions</u></strong><br />
Bring the stock to a boil and keep hot. In a 3 quart saucepan, combine the butter, olive oil, and shallots and saute over medium low heat until shallots are translucent. Add the rice and toast the rice for approximately 5 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Add the white wine and continue stirring until the wine has evaporated. Add the hot vegetable stock, just enough to barely cover the rice and continue stirring until all the liquid is evaporated. Repeat the above step until the rice is cooked al dente, about 15-30 minutes total cooking time, add salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken, artichokes, lemon juice and zest. Stir. Add cheese and herbs and a little more broth if needed. Sit back, eat and tell yourself you are amazing!Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-33223146790520860742011-06-28T07:17:00.000-07:002011-06-28T07:17:09.685-07:00summer roll success!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P2mDm0zxaKc/TgngiF7RsZI/AAAAAAAAAFo/X_tCS_xi6ms/s1600/Castle+Rock+2011+112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P2mDm0zxaKc/TgngiF7RsZI/AAAAAAAAAFo/X_tCS_xi6ms/s200/Castle+Rock+2011+112.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Kelly says they tasted like we were at a restaurant. Fresh and cool. We made the peanut sauce- wowo! and then dipped the rolls in a combination of peanut sauce, hoisin and rooster chili sauce I think I will name my Asian restaurant Mr. Fong's.<br />
Here is the recipe. Courtesy of Food Network Magazine- two things I learned- don't skimp on the shrimp and roll them as tight as you can. 0h and don't use broken rice papers...........<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
<br />
<br />
For the Sauce: <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/3 cup unsalted peanuts </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 teaspoons red curry paste </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 teaspoons fish sauce </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 tablespoon sugar </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 tablespoon hoisin sauce </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">For the Rolls: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kosher salt </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 tablespoon rice vinegar </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 teaspoons sugar </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">6 black peppercorns </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">12 medium shrimp (unpeeled) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 ounce rice vermicelli </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 cucumber </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 scallions </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">8 8-inch-round rice paper wrappers </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 bunch mint </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 bunch basil </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 bunch cilantro </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 Boston lettuce leaves, torn</span><br />
<br />
Directions<br />
<br />
Make the sauce: Grind the peanuts in a food processor. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook 1 minute. Add the fish sauce and cook 1 more minute. Add the ground peanuts and cook, stirring, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar and cook 1 to 2 more minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, chicken broth and hoisin sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thick, about 20 minutes. Let cool. <br />
Make the rolls: Fill a saucepan with water and season with salt. Add the vinegar, sugar and peppercorns and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and simmer until pink, 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Peel the shrimp, then halve lengthwise and devein. Cover and chill. <br />
Cook the rice noodles as the label directs, then drain. Cut the cucumber and scallions into matchsticks and toss with 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. One at a time, soak a rice paper wrapper in warm water until pliable, 30 seconds, then lay on a cutting board and pat dry. Arrange 3 shrimp halves across the middle of the wrapper; top with some noodles, herbs, cucumber, scallions and lettuce. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll up into a tight bundle. Cut in half; serve with the peanut sauce. <br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F4reDytvDpM/Tgnh4DcuLyI/AAAAAAAAAFs/q2GNgHuHBpY/s1600/Castle+Rock+2011+113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F4reDytvDpM/Tgnh4DcuLyI/AAAAAAAAAFs/q2GNgHuHBpY/s320/Castle+Rock+2011+113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-51913248457043084902011-06-27T12:22:00.000-07:002011-06-27T12:22:04.114-07:00Let it wash over me<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Summer is a time for lazy days, early walks and salad meals and grilling. I have not been lazy. I feel like a hummingbird going from one flower to the next knowing there is a frost coming and I may miss the good juice. I have been too busy. I have had 3 extra people living at my house last week, I taught art class and I have not had time to cook for me. But summer starts today. My husband and I are cooking real spring rolls and having a vietnamese feast. I have never made them but when I eat them they make me happy. Happy is what I want, I want to slow down and savor. 4th of july is almost here- Summer is half over, as the teacher point of view. But that means I just need to make the most of my slow time. File this, organize this, do this.........sometimes my brain won't shut down. I need to take a message from Buddha and meditate for a minute. or take a message from my mother and "tomorrow is another day, Scarlett" The pile will be there tomorrow1</span>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-61756937979433389432011-04-16T07:27:00.000-07:002011-04-16T07:27:46.107-07:00Sour Chery PoundcakeMy sister Amanda brought over some amazing, melt in your mouth, sour sweetness from a tree, sour cherry poundcake. My husband ate most of it, but the bite I did get- I knew I had to recreate. Kelly and I had picked cherries a year before and they had been sitting in our freezer. We are in the cleanout your freezer for summer mode so we found them way in the back. 6 eggs, 3 sticks of butter, a brick of cream cheese and 3<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1/2</span> cups of sugar later, we have pound cake. The recipe says to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes............It was hardly done at that amount of time- so keep it in for at least 10 more minutes.<br />
<br />
Credit goes to NPR what to do with sour cherries...........<em> Domonica Marchetti </em>Big Night In: More Than 100 Wonderful Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends Italian Style<em> (Chronicle Books 2008) </em><br />
<br />
<em>Sour Cherry Pound Cake</em><br />
2 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted and halved<br />
3 cups sugar, plus 1/2 cup for marinating cherries<br />
3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan<br />
6 large eggs, at room temperature<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
8 ounces mascarpone cheese or sour cream, at room temperature (I used 1 block of cream cheese)<br />
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting<br />
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan and set it aside.<br />
In a small bowl, mix the cherries with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Let the mixture steep while you prepare the batter for the cake. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Set aside. Put the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat on medium speed to combine. Add the remaining 3 cups of sugar, a half-cup at a time, and beat at high speed until light and airy, 5 full minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Change the speed to medium and alternately add the flour and salt mixture and the mascarpone or sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until incorporated. Drain the cherries, reserving the syrup that collects in the bowl. With a rubber or silicon spatula, fold the cherries into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes.<span style="background-color: #ea9999;">While the cake is baking, put the reserved cherry syrup in a small saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Strain and reserve the liquid.- IMPORTANT.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>When the cake is done, place the pan on a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan. While it is still warm, brush the top and sides with the warm cherry syrup. The cake will absorb the syrup. Let the cake cool to room temperature.<br />
To serve, transfer the cake to a decorative platter or cake stand. Dust with confectioners' sugar.<br />
<div align="center">Divine</div><br />
<em></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zvgbR1rkSW8/TamnJAWVYNI/AAAAAAAAAFc/KuZd-CU31Ys/s1600/half+of+pound+cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zvgbR1rkSW8/TamnJAWVYNI/AAAAAAAAAFc/KuZd-CU31Ys/s320/half+of+pound+cake.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-54570412574096834582011-02-08T14:29:00.000-08:002011-02-08T14:29:35.609-08:00The Big Snow!!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TVHCb3v42rI/AAAAAAAAAFI/xImgxlTYvwE/s1600/big+snow+2011+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TVHCb3v42rI/AAAAAAAAAFI/xImgxlTYvwE/s200/big+snow+2011+018.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I did not know that snowblowers made my husband so happy. He got a new one and he has done the whole driveway twice! In some spots three times! We may have gotten around 9-12 inches and it is not supposed to stop until tomorrow...........no more snowdays for us, though- Parent-teacher conferences are tomorrow- can't miss those! Dogs are having fun!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TVHC6JwBYXI/AAAAAAAAAFM/54b8MGElrZ8/s1600/big+snow+2011+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TVHC6JwBYXI/AAAAAAAAAFM/54b8MGElrZ8/s200/big+snow+2011+004.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TVHDg2hPm0I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/MRh2H5BayfY/s1600/big+snow+2011+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TVHDg2hPm0I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/MRh2H5BayfY/s200/big+snow+2011+011.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I need cocoa!!!!</div>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-36795809275783558752011-02-02T12:45:00.000-08:002011-02-02T12:45:43.497-08:00Snow days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TUnBTyj80vI/AAAAAAAAAEw/rXoXKqTeJT0/s1600/winter+swing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TUnBTyj80vI/AAAAAAAAAEw/rXoXKqTeJT0/s320/winter+swing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>~This week I have had three snow days! 3 whole days in row!! Snow days are simple gifts of time. To me they are a day that you don't have to do anything if you do not want to. But of course, I vacuumed, I made bread, I made soup, I organized a drawer, I got to read a magazine, I even "surfed the internet". i took a shower in the middle of the day! I had time to be bored. When is a grown-up ever allowed to be bored. The weather was so bad yesterday that Salina closed the Mall!<br />
~I spent the afternoon with one of my bestest sisters, made breakfast for another. Husband made the best fire last night and we watched tv together. Snow days are selfish days, but we all need to put the brakes on occasionally...........Thanks Mother Nature!!!Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-49734599517000593872011-01-08T09:15:00.000-08:002011-01-08T09:15:35.086-08:00Winter Walk<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This morning I woke up and wanted to go on a winter walk with the dogs. No wind, 3 layers of clothes and sleeping bag down coat to my ankles, I ran the dogs when the sun was coming up. What was I thinking? Mom says I officially do not have her DNA. I must have mutated. I just wanted to be out. All my friends are training for a marathon so they talk about running. So I thought I would think about running while I walk. The brown grass was matted so it was easy to walk. Hidden trash was visible now- Stella started to roll in what looked something like a meth lab so we turned another direction. We are scheduled for snow tonight. The world was so quiet, waiting for the storm. I wanted to be out in the world before I nest and batten down for the snow...........pray for a snow day.</span>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-87767507350542567532011-01-06T15:10:00.000-08:002011-01-06T15:10:42.038-08:00Start anew<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After Christmas is the time when I want to take everything down off my shelves and put it away or sell it. I also want to do that with my personal insides, too. Winter cleaning ............. Dusting...... scrubbing......... bleaching.... I seem to want to do that not only to my house but to myself. Here is my 2011 list of things I want to do....I don't like the word resolutions...............</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One coke a day</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> start yoga again</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">become more organized</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">less TV</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">read more</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">listen, talk less</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">spend less, save more</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">take more pictures of my food</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">cook for friends I love</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">run the dogs</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">build stamina in my walking</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">less steriods</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">play/laugh with my husband</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">write more letters</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">ride a horse</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">buy a new car</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Is this too much for 359 days? If I am authentic and thoughtful~ If I plan</span> out these things, do they become habit?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-2118757554403216062010-11-15T16:55:00.000-08:002010-11-15T16:55:23.974-08:00My beach book in November<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just reread <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> this week. I fell into the pages of my father's old book. It smelled like smoke and must.........probably the reason I don't have a Kindle. I read it in the voice of Scout. It was one of those beach books that all you want to do is read. Friday was a cold and rainy November day. I wanted to call in literary sick so bad. but I went to school. I did have silent reading in my class so I could read a little to myself on Friday. I told the kids to find a book that is their good fit. One that is so good you get a flashlight and read under the covers. I showed them my old book. I told them it is so fun to cry during a book. It shows you are really into it. Everybody deserves that. I cried on my couch when Atticus told Scout " You never really understand a person.........Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." I want to put that on the front page of the paper. If our congressmen did that.we would get so much more done!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TOHWcDDXmGI/AAAAAAAAADk/FRYjMJWug2Y/s1600/to+kill+a+mocking+bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/TOHWcDDXmGI/AAAAAAAAADk/FRYjMJWug2Y/s1600/to+kill+a+mocking+bird.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I read aloud to my dogs- they love Alabama accent. I say to my little dog...hey Boo. i call my mother and have book club with her on the phone. I want to talk about it. I can't wait to read it again next time.</span>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-46108544341870872622010-10-21T18:34:00.000-07:002010-10-21T18:34:21.051-07:00A day in the life of me...........I usually think I am a normal working woman...........but then I tell people what happened to me today and they say......jesus god you do not have a normal life! Today is Thursday...I got up at 5:45 plugged in an IV antibiotic that lasts 30 minutes, prepared my 3 breathing treatments and laid down with my dog for a good snuggle time. Feed dogs, make tea, take shower, find some fabulous 3rd grade teacher out fit, kiss husband, lock puppy in crate or she will eat the couch and I am off in the car to drive my 67 second commute to work. Last parking place (it's 7:30 and no one has to be there until 8....) I haul my bag to my room, start my computer, pop open my icey cold coke and sit down to read a daily devotional that comes to me every morning at 3:30am.........quick make a copy ( print it on my printer because I probably have used too many copies this month) Gather things for the day, talk to my special colleagues and kids come at 8:25. Take lunch count, make sure I don't miss anyone- I read them the paper today. How to stay organized. It is a lifeskill we all are working on. Started reading lesson, 9:45 break for small group work (High Tide we call it because we have a beach theme...or right now it is riptide...........) back to do individual centers and more small group teaching, check in, are you getting things accomplished, sent one to nurse, back 101 fever I have to go home, we will finish all tomorrow, lunch, mashed potatoes and gravy, 18 minutes to eat and pee. Kids restroom break lasts maybe 7 minutes.......I wait for them. To room for read aloud, The Littles, out to recess, windy, stay a little later because it is fall. Pass back math tests, somebody got an F, and a D, reviewed and corrected mistakes, chinchilla dies, miss margy, the chinchilla is not breathing, She's fine I say, chinchillas look like that when they sleep during the day.......not a good sign. Just sleeping Susie as my friend's mother would say about roadkill. Start new unit on shapes, use technology and projector today. fly through math, pack and off to music and Pe. The chinchilla IS dead. The class pet died during math time today. I pick her up and her beautiful furry body is lifeless. compressions? I try, sing stayin' alive! sing stayin' alive. nothing. I wrap her in a little towel and put her in her tub. I tell my friends and go tell my children in music that their class pet has died. Jasmine took it hard but it reminded her of her little gramma's dog. Tomorrow we will have a spelling test and we will talk. we will talk about death, we will talk about the circle of life. chinchillas eat the grass and they become the grass (Mufasa) I will give them time and we will think about everything it reminds us of. It probably will be the most important lesson I take all year for these kids............this is not on any god damn test..........Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-31970522871525102892010-10-11T18:07:00.000-07:002010-10-11T18:07:05.411-07:00I've lost my voice<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since I have started school, I feel I have not had time to post. I have been all consumed with this new grade level of mine and think of nothing but school, school, school! I work until 5 pm and don't know what time it is. I guess life is all about balance. Nothing works when life is out of balance. Creativity needs quiet and time to think about it. Space around your brain when you don't have to think. That's what I loved about summer. But it is now the change seasons in this midwest town. Trees are starting to turn, football voices calm me. And I want to cook again. Last night it was spicy meatloaf from the Stop and Smell the Rosemary cookbook. I made a big pot of minestrone soup at the same time. when two recipes use about the same ingredients- do the double chop! cook two meals instead of one. My husband bought us a new refridgerator so we could keep all our condiments...........</span>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-65028874183774333502010-08-08T07:22:00.000-07:002010-08-08T08:08:36.917-07:00End of summer<div>I was vaccuming the kitchen rug as the crash hit my brain........."your summer is officially over!" I have planned for this summer for so long and now it is done- This is it! no more...........now it is back to work and SCHOOL~but then after the negativity waned, I reflected. What a great summer.</div>
<br /><div> </div>
<br /><div>It started when I immediately got in the car on Saturday after school was out in May. My husband took me to a dream, yes a dream. <em>Star Wars in Concert </em>It was so well produced, laserbeams, full orchestra from London, lightsabers, original costumes and foot long hotdogs! I was in my element. There were photo ops everywhere, Chewbacca encased in a large glass box, the back drop to Luke's 2 sun sunset of Tantooine, My master, Yoda. Lines were every where to get your picture taken with these historic figures. Kelly and I figured it out. I would swoop in while pepole were shuffling to be next in line- take the picture of me and Yoda, and then move on to the next one instantly- stick and move, stick and move. I do want to tell you that I was not dressed up in the Princess Leia costumes- there were some freaky deakies there.................The music was overwhelming. They opened with the Dolby surround sound "drop" just like at the theaters. This is live remind you-and we were in the front row. I kept pinching myself and Kelly realizing that people were playing this right now- no CD! I cried when they played the finale song from the original Star Wars. And couldn't breathe when they played the encore of the Empire theme, it was so ahhhhhhhh! Lucas dreamed up this concept and it was a winner. Giant screens of all the movies and audio as the orchestra plays the music that fits. And the narrator........C3PO himself, Sir Anthony Daniels- in a little gold vest and a black suit :) It was great and only the first weekend of my summer of 2010! It was definitely bucket list material.</div>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-76718785738883011392010-07-13T17:45:00.000-07:002010-07-13T17:46:55.580-07:00Corn and tomatoes,<br />Corn and tomatoes.<br />There's nothing I like better<br />Than corn and tomatoes!!!Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-23443906741312063332010-06-23T03:59:00.001-07:002010-06-23T04:10:54.318-07:00<span style="font-family:georgia;">It is count down to the beach. Clothes are out....please remember that all you wear is your bathing suit and you don't need 3 pairs of jeans!!!! Have you ever walked into a place and felt in your soul that you have been there before, and I am not talking last year's vacation. That in some juju way this is home? that is how I feel when I walk up for the first moment I get on the sand and look at the Atlantic ocean. My brain stops thinking, My heart calms, my lungs open and I say to God, thanks for welcoming me home. I know what my heaven will be. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The beach started for me when I was 3- that was 40 years ago and it continues on Friday. Meeting my cousins the Clifton family at Summer Song house in Long Beach has moved to South Carolina. The easy drawl of the people suck me in immediatey. Early morning shelling and the grand search for sand dollars, elaborate sand castles, sea urchins, shark boiling....peeyew! Lobster man and net man, chewing tobacco, fishing poles, popsicles and peanut butter sandwiches with sand...........guitar music on the porch. Talent show, Rinso Blue, God dammit Dotsy, the pier and all the tricks and gadgets we would find. The memories go on and on..... and somewhere deep in my former lives I continue to add to them. My beach badge of honor is not how tan or how many shells I can collect.............it is how long can I keep the sand in my purse after I am back in Kansas-</span>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-40522773746741060492010-03-30T18:42:00.000-07:002010-03-30T18:54:50.615-07:00Spring<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/S7KrFzbxECI/AAAAAAAAAB0/RLu1prAckpI/s1600/BlueGoat+3-27-10+021.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454610214893457442" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/S7KrFzbxECI/AAAAAAAAAB0/RLu1prAckpI/s200/BlueGoat+3-27-10+021.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/S7KrFt2uw4I/AAAAAAAAABs/AGio8may8v8/s1600/BlueGoat+3-27-10+011.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454610213395940226" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/S7KrFt2uw4I/AAAAAAAAABs/AGio8may8v8/s200/BlueGoat+3-27-10+011.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>I smelled honeysuckle today......Spring has sprung people. And we all have a bounce in our step. I took the dogs on a walk in a secret place. It's a beautiful place by pine trees and close to the river. While I was walking in the field, I kept hearing this sound like a bowl of rice crispies. I couldn't figure it out so I stopped under a tree to listen. The sun was shining, it was warm... It was the sound of pine cones opening and flinging its seeds. Have you ever heard pinecones open. I was blessed. I kept walking and then I heard the little cricket frogs that just developed. It was a listening walk.<br /></div><div>Today I made asparagus risotto with shrimp and morel mushrooms. It truly was one of the most divine things I have put in my mouth. It takes an hour to make and stir. Risotto is therapy. Add some broth, stir until its gone, Add some broth, stir until its gone...........again and again. I used some dried morels my daddy had purchased for me. They are so expensive, I only used a few. I put on Hootie and the Blowfish on the ipod, poured a glass of Monte de Oro Syrah and started stirring. Spring is great...........it's proof that you lived through all the shit of winter.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-1889829905818276072010-03-06T15:16:00.000-08:002010-03-06T15:23:14.714-08:00A good mother<span style="font-family:georgia;">I took a walk this morning in the cemetary. This song was playing on my ipod. It caught me off guard and I sat down and cried on Mr. Finley's grave. I got a letter in the mail today.....Thanks, mommy. How blessed I am to have you.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Good Mother by Jann Arden<br /><br />I've got money in my pocket, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I like the color of my hair.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've got a friend who loves me,</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"> Got a house, I've got a car. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've got a good mother, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">and her voice is what keeps me here. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Feet on ground, Heart in hand, Facing forward, Be yourself. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've never wanted anything. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">No I've, no I've, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've never wanted anything, so bad..(so bad). </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Cardboard masks of all the people I've been</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"> Thrown out, with all the rusted, tangled dented God Damned miseries!! </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">You could say I'm hard to hold, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But if you knew me you'd know,</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"> I've got a good father, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">And his strength is what makes me cry. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Feet on ground, Heart in hand, Facing forward, Be yourself. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've never wanted anything, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">No I've, no I've, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've never wanted anything so bad..(so bad). </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've got money in my pockets, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I like the color of my hair. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've got a friend who loves me, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Got a house, </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've got a car.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"> I've got a good mother, and her voice is what keeps me here.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"> Feet on ground, Heart in hand, Facing forward,Be yourself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Heart in hand, Feet on ground, Facing forward, Be yourself. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">just be yourself. just be yourself. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Feet on ground, Heart in hand, Feet on ground, Heart in hand....</span>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-31150084234350926952010-03-03T03:32:00.000-08:002010-03-03T04:08:58.459-08:00Time<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/S45QiOdZdmI/AAAAAAAAABk/LyKsNOh4BS4/s1600-h/P2260024.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444377548464682594" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9jarQ_Si1KQ/S45QiOdZdmI/AAAAAAAAABk/LyKsNOh4BS4/s200/P2260024.JPG" /></a><br /><div>The whole the reason I am this skinny girl can give credit to my genetics. If you saw my beautiful mother and many of you do, you will notice her leaness. My father, also slim, my Nana had gams, baby. So I can be considered blessed that in my inherent make up we are slim, long and do not have the pearshaped, donut butt. We have no butt or breasts for that matter, however it makes it easier to sit on an airplane. But another reason that I am skinny today- 108 pounds as of now - I have cystic fibrosis. CF is a genetic disease that must be passed on through carrier genes from both the father and the mother. My brother, same parents, does not have the disease, nor do his children. They could all be carriers, but we don't know. CF makes the mucus in my lungs sticky and gluey. I have to spend time getting the bad stuff out of my lungs.<br /></div><div>My time with CF involves a lot of breathing treatments. Sometimes I wish I was an astronaut that has a back pack breathing apparatus that I can walk around and do stuff but breathe my medicine. But usually I am just on the couch. Here is a break down of my time in the AM: </div><div>6:00-6:09 Brovana in nebulizer<br />6:10-6:23 DNase in neb</div><div>6:25-7:00 Mucomist in neb- smells like rotten eggs and is a lovely fragrance to wake up too :)<br /></div><div>Then in the PM - I do the Brovana again- and now we are thinking of adding another. Weigh the time issue- dead in your bed or clean lungs and 2 hours a day of treatments. That thought is getting easier for me all the time.<br /></div><br /><div>This disease takes time. A lot of time. I don't give it enough time, sometimes I give it too much time. I am seeking that balance of time. But we all are fighting time in our own lives. My schedule is crazy, but I still have time to have wine with a friend or two. Whenever I am thinking- "Oh I don't have time to get it all done" I stop and think of growing up and hearing....."Tomorrow is another day, Scarlett". My mother would say this quote from Gone With the Wind. I may not have finished my room, a project, my Barbie town.....but she would let me know that yes, it would all be here tomorrow and I could work on it then. Two things- she gave me a tomorrow and she let me finish. I love my mom for that.</div><br /><div>40 years later, Scarlett is still around. Today and yes, tomorrow. I work. I play. I read. I cook. I watch. I listen. I talk. ~and whatever it is, does not get done- I will be here tomorrow to finish.</div>Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-75551045220838986532010-02-27T06:24:00.000-08:002010-02-27T06:41:21.483-08:00SilenceSilence is not something I experience much in my life right now. As a kindergarten teacher, we don't have many quiet times, then working at a school- there is always something going on outside my hall. Same goes for home. It is <em>not</em> often that I come home and the house is completely quiet. TV or radio is left on for the dog or husband :) In my car ESPN radio is talking incessently. When I wake up in the morning my head starts to talk. Instant pictures flash through my brain, like digital images downloading on a computer. What am I going to think about today it flashes? Obviously a lot. Skinny girls have big fat thoughts. <br /><br />Silence is hard. I try to sit in silence sometime in my day. I can't do it. That crazy chick in my head is always talking. The most silent lately has been the Sunday morning snow. It just softened our air, our town. Silence is for watching. Last night in the Olympics I watched the skiers on the top of the mountain. For the first time in a long time I could see what skiers liked. Minus all the cow bells for competion, skiing would be a place of silence. Soft snow high mountains, no talking. I experienced it once- in Jr. high- on a little bunny slope- I could not ski- but I found a place I could go around and around- in silence, by myself.<br /><br /> This season of Lent I have checked the d365.org website for a daily devotion. I love it- I look at it first thing everyday. It has soothing music, scripture, life connections and a prayer to send me off to my day. This year I did not give up Coke or chocolate for lent, but instead I am cultivating a habit.... Listening. I am not a good listener. I want to share my side. Be in control of the conversation and how it flows. But I know that Jesus listened and maybe I could be better. Listening takes practice. We are even practicing in Kindergarten so I get it there too. <br /><br />So if you see me- and hopefully you do, I want to listen to you. What do you listen for? Questions? Emotions, Ideas. That is the fun of listening I guess. When you listen you learn. about people and the world. - and the scariest of all yourself.Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-13430277299056644682010-02-26T03:30:00.000-08:002010-02-26T03:46:54.172-08:00FearLast night I woke up with such a start in pure unadulterated fear. That feeling of scared that you are not where you should be and it's time for fight or flight. My fists were clenched and I came out swinging.............I really am not sure the reason for the fear, a dream, bad TV, a margarita at 4pm. but it got this little skinny girl thinking big heavy thoughts.... What is scared? Is it loss of something, change of something, too much of something? So why are we not scared all of the bloomin'n time? Everything we do, Involves changing or not changing.........What makes us go on when we are scared?<br /><br />That initial reaction of fear is adreneline. Heart pumping- Fists up, roll over, survey your surroundings. Next is think- what is this really about. Am I in physical danger........no I was in my bed. After I knew I was OK, I said to myself- hey you are a fighter. Heart slows and now you can think- what just happened? Fixer me says, How do I fix this? -Think<br /><br />But it is the human thinking part that is so amazing. Every single one of us is scared sometimes- You know our President is scared sometimes, my mom is scared sometimes. Sometimes it is for ourselves, but most of times we are scared for people we love.<br /><br />In our family we say education is key. If you can't find the answers you need, go out into the big world and find someone that can help you find the answers. Sitting in your bed scared...........you are missing so much. Maybe because I am not still in my bed I will notice the little daffodils trying to poke up on the side of the house today.................<br /><br />There is nothing to fear but fear itself............Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587563547227791777.post-23622913059248911642010-02-23T18:23:00.000-08:002010-02-23T19:14:31.681-08:00Skinny start upI woke up in the middle of the night..........grabbed a sticky pad and accidentally wrote on the back. I decided there had to be a better way to get my thoughts down. The new era of Blogging- so what to write about...........what is in my head- Three thoughts- skinny body, food and I hate to exercise.<br /><br />SKINNY GIRL.......... that is what I think about- chicken legs and baby waist, my pants don't fit, body image is down the tubes, wrinkly skin, did you know that a 43 year old can have droopy knees? I am not comfortable in my clothes. Does this sound familiar, ladies? Yes-<strong> I have the same thoughts as you,</strong> but opposite of too heavy, too fat, too chunky- I am too thin. And what to do about it.........<br /><br />"Don't you eat?" they say, "Have another helping" they say, "You are so thin" they say, You can have some of mine" they say.<br /><br />My doctor says I am wired for 22o..........my husband agrees. He has seen me eat, and cook, and eat and eat. There is not time in my day to eat enough to make me fat. I burn too much energy- I am expensive. We buy in bulk.<br /><br />But what they don't know is that this girl eats. This skinny girl is a FOODIE! I rock the kitchen with gourmet, soul-sending, eye-ball rolling food. And that may be on a Monday night. Sunday morning breakfast was fresh bread dough into a pizza with bacon, cheese and an egg on top-Happy tummies while the snow fell down again. Dinner for two -Marinated steak with baby bellas sauted with onions and fresh thyme. I don't know how but I still have fresh herbs in my garden. <br /><br />Most of all I don't cook with recipes. I will get into that later. Just know, I love the ingredients, I love food, I love to cook and I love to cook for my family.<br /><br />But the thing I hate is exercise. Don't have to do it to lose weight- just the opposite. I should exercise to live. I am tired when I get home, sore, busy, but most of all I am not genetically coded to go out and sweat and pump it up. Probably because I can't breathe when I do. I would rather clean a bathroom then go out and exercise. Just go take a walk, run the dogs, go up and down the stairs. Why is walking so hard? Right now it is the weather. Spring days do make it easier. Someone needs to get that groundhog.................Margyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16784345440194410401noreply@blogger.com1