Happiness Is...the Weekend in Review

As promised, here are a few details about my little weekend road trip. Beren and I headed to Ft. Lauderdale early Friday morning, had a meeting at 9 am which, thankfully, had a positive outcome. By 11 we were sipping Bloody Marys on the beach!



Brynna gave me this unexpected little gift Thursday night, along with pink Play-Doh and a lavender foot soak. *smile* My daughter knows me all too well! I've decided to name him Prince and he will henceforth be my "Traveling Bear" just like the garden gnome in Amélie. I imagine this little guy will lead quite an adventurous life so stay tuned! *wink*

Friday night we enjoyed what was quite possibly the last Mermaid Show at the Yankee Clipper Wreck Bar. We can only hope that once the hotel is renovated they return because it would be such a shame to lose this local icon!



After the show we enjoyed a late dinner with friends at a waterfront restaurant, why do hamburgers taste soooooo good late at night? Here we are posing with "The Blues Brothers."



Saturday we caught the shuttle to the beach, had a delicious spinach & feta omelet at a really cool Greek restaurant. Nice view, huh?



When the weather turned rainy we ducked into the Oasis and had a couple of drinks while waiting for the storm to pass.





We'd parked our car at Kali's house who lives just moments away so while waiting for her to pick us up we hung out by the pool and in the gorgeous hotel lobby.



Even though it was a wonderful getaway and we had lots of fun, I was so happy to return home to my own bed, kids & kitties!

Getaway

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Beren and I are headed out of town this morning for a little road trip. We're not going far, just about half an hour northeast of the Castle. We're meeting some friends for a "swimmingly good time," but I'm not going to tell you about that just yet, you'll have to wait for the pictures tomorrow! *wink*

See you tomorrow!

Working Girl

Things are changing around the office and I'm having a bit of a hard time with it, frankly. You see, I am only a part time employee and up until now my job has been very easy & flexible. I'm at the bottom of the "support staff" for the partners at our firm which means I could pretty much work my own hours, come and go as I pleased, and if I took a day off here and there it didn't matter very much. Oh, they need and want me, don't get me wrong, but I had few deadlines and was relatively "unimportant," which is exactly how I liked it!

Well, times there are a changin'. Since the new year, my responsibilities have been gradually increasing along with my boss' expectations of me. It appears that they have discovered my talents...grin....and intend to take full advantage of them! I am working harder and longer and find that my days off must now be planned well in advance and with other staff's schedules in mind.

While I am flattered by their confidence in me, am certainly not adverse to hard work and could definitely use the additional income, I wasn't prepared for this shift and it's thrown me off just a bit. My routine has changed, I have less time at home to tend to domestic duties and even fewer hours of Alone Time which is really important to my mental health and well being. We won't even talk about how this has impacted my exercise routine but suffice it too say that after a stressful day at the office I'd rather have a glass of wine on the Pirate Patio rather than jump on the treadmill!

I'm sure that I will adjust soon, am just feeling a bit overwhelmed and wearing a few too many hats at the moment. I think I need a vacation and fortunately I have one coming up very soon! Pre-planned and Boss Approved, of course.

Nightmare

The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli
I had a horrible dream last night, am still shaking from it. I had fallen asleep feeling anxious and upset about a couple of things, not the least of which was, as always on my mind: Mom's death. I was reliving the chemo, the radiation, the surgery, the final days and hours until she passed. All of that came out in the dream and perhaps much more...

I was in a mortuary and the mortician was working on my Mom. Suddenly she opened her eyes and asked where she was.

I said, "Mom, you're dead..you're dead, Mom."

She shook her head and said, "No, no! Why? But why?"

At that point I became so angry, shouting at her, "Because of the cigarettes, Mom, you wouldn't quit smoking, you just wouldn't quit!"

I was sobbing and yelling and grabbing her, hysterical. She replied quietly, "It was the poison, Michele," meaning the chemo.

Then I said, "But the chemo, Mom, was because of the damned cigarettes! Why wouldn't you quit? Why wouldn't you quit for US?? Why? Why?"

"I'm sorry."

I can't remember whether or not I forgave her..

Monday Menu Planning

In preparation for the long weekend, Beren and I did some mega-shopping at Costco on Saturday, stocked up on, among other things, huge baking potatoes, Progresso Light Soup, salad and bread for the rare occasions when I decide to indulge in the "white stuff." I love opening my pantry and freezer to find so many meal possibilities!

Meatless Monday ~ "Potato Night"- baked potatoes w/leftover chili, salad
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Vegetarian Italian Pasta Skillet Dinner Recipe from Progresso® Light
Thrifty Thursday ~ Anything Soup and French bread
Fishy Friday ~ Marinated Salmon Filets
Social Saturday ~ Dinner Out
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Santa Fe Chicken

Happiness Is...(the Week in Review)

Hanging with our wild & crazy biker friends at our fave Sunday afternoon tiki bar..even though we got totally soaked by rain, the band played on and the girls kept dancin'!



Going to see our friend play guitar in a wonderful Country-ish band. We always have a great time with Elvis and, yes, that's his real name!



Discovering a wonderful little Mexican restaurant on a Friday afternoon; $2.50 margaritas are the BOMB!



Happy Hour at the Wreck Bar, one of the very last mermaid shows before the bar is renovated. Crossing fingers and wishing real hard that they bring my mermaids back after completion!



Stay tuned, we have a fun-filled Memorial Day weekend planned!

On My Hearth: Spaghetti Pie

Photo courtesy of Fun Foods on a Budget
We had a little family meeting yesterday about, among other things, the household budget and how we can keep it under control. (Given the current economic situation, I'm sure that many of you are having similar conversations, no?) We explained to the children that while there are some areas we can't control (mortgage, car insurance, etc), we can cut down on our food expenditures and electric/water usage. Beren and I encouraged everyone to turn off lights when not in use, unplug appliances, etc. and to please, please not be wasteful of food. If you put it on your plate, eat it! Throwing food away makes me absolutely nuts!

So, with that in mind I did a refrigerator/freezer inventory this morning and made a shopping list, having each family member add items that he/she wants me to pick up from the store. I also made a mental note of what leftovers we have in there which will need to be used quickly. Spying a big bowl of cooked pasta, I did a quick google search and stumbled upon what is sure to be one of my new favorite blogs, Fun Foods on a Budget. Ooh, Stephanie has some tasty-looking dishes on there, can't wait to try them all!

Though we are having a BBQ here at the castle tonight, the guests won't be arriving until 6 pm so it'll be a late dinner for the kids so I'm going to whip up this Spaghetti Pie for a nice hearty lunch. Mmm...doesn't it look so good?? I can't wait to dig my fork in!

Wicked Stepmother

I'm having a tough time this morning and feel the need to vent/share, hope you'll bear with me here. As I've mentioned a time or two before, Beren has two teenage daughters who visit us every other weekend, a week here and there over holidays, etc. Let me first say that they are bright, lovely girls who have never caused us a bit of real trouble. They get good grades, are polite and have decent manners. However...this "blending" of our families has not been easy. As hormones swell and the realities of this "new" life have begun to sink in (they've been coming here for 2-1/2 years now), things have become more and more uncomfortable to the point where I am sometimes (Ok, often) dreading the weekends. Days before their arrival I start to fret, anxious and consumed with worry over what their visit will bring this time. Compound that with the fact that next month they will be coming to stay for an extended period of time - 2 solid weeks - something that has never happened before! I can only imagine how stressful that's going to be and yet have no idea how to make the situation better.

You see, I have read the parenting books, visited the appropriate websites, spoken with professionals, talked to the girls themselves until I am blue in the face and spent countless hours with Beren examining and reexamining every possible option, anything, anything to make their time with us more pleasant and comfortable for all, to no avail. Each and every time it's the same, with different degrees of tension, yet never ever without incident. I'm at my wits end, don't know what to do or where to turn from here, am becoming increasingly resentful and angry which is certainly not a good thing for any relationship. This is so unlike me, you all know that I am normally a kind, giving person, warm & welcoming to anyone visiting the Castle..and yet..here I am, ashamed of myself but unable to deny my feelings!

If any of you have been in my stilettos, can give me insight or some magic solution to the problem, please feel free to chime in. All I want is some peace and harmony in my home, live together and love each other without this chronic stress and strain! At this point I'm starting to believe that Cinderella's stepmother didn't start out evil; she was probably a lovely woman who was pushed to the limits by her ungrateful, unappreciative stepdaughter to the point where the poor dear finally just snapped! Just kidding....sort've....sigh...

Pizza Night!

It's Pizza Night here at the Castle and while the rest of the family's gorging on the greasy take-out pie, I'll be serving up my own lighter fare thanks to the always-awesome Hungry Girl! Yummy!

‘Meaty’ Thin Crust Pizza

(Entire pizza: Approx. 260 calories, 5g fat, 1,200mg sodium, 35g carbs, 20g fiber, 9g sugars, 25g protein = 5 Points)

Ingredients:

1 La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Low-Carb/ Low-Fat Tortilla; Large Size
1/2 cup fat-free tomato sauce
1/2 cup Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers or Sausage Style Recipe Crumbles™
1 1/2 oz. shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thaw crumbles in the microwave for 30 seconds. Bake tortilla for 5 - 6 minutes on each side, or until slightly crispy. Remove tortilla from oven and spread on tomato sauce. Next, sprinkle on crumbles and top evenly with cheese. Return pizza to the oven for approximately 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut into slices.

Monday Menu Planning

I'm trying to get my life back on track, feel like I have really lost "control" over the past few months with Mom's illness, death, and the horrible aftermath. My family is still in shock, still mourning, but life does indeed go on despite ourselves. Slowly, surely I have been making small changes, getting back into a routine, finding some semblance of "normalcy." Since I am a kitchen witch after all, one of the best ways for me to be productive and comfort myself is to head to the hearth. It's here where I put aside everything else and just immerse myself in the taste, smell, texture, experience of cooking for my family. It brings me joy and pleasure and the knowledge that no matter what else is happening, we must eat. And so we gather at the table, sharing joy and sorrows, the ups and downs of our days. Such as it is now, the bitter and the sweetness, Life does indeed go on.

Meatless Monday ~ Clean Out Refrigerator Night (C*O*R*N)
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Chicken Sybil
Thrifty Thursday ~ Shrimp Lo Mein
Fishy Friday ~ Easy Fish Tacos
Social Saturday ~ Dinner Out
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Barbecue Chili

Happiness Is...(the week in review)

A beautiful daughter headed off to prom..I can't believe she's all grown up!





Mothers Day brunch at Kali's house followed by a trip to the art museum. (free admission and half price mimosas!)





Fresh clean sheets on a Sunday morning and a crazy kitty who "helps" me change them!



Bread baking in the oven, dinner in the slow cooker...heading out to meet friends for an afternoon of live music and perhaps a cocktail or two. What a wonderful way to end the weekend!

I love Sundays...

On My Hearth: Meatless Burritos

We're meeting friends for the Mermaid Show/Happy Hour tonight so I'm going to throw this in the crockpot for the kids. It sounds delicious and oh-so-simple!

Oh, and no my burrito won't look like the above pic...grin...just love those LOL cats and had to share this one!

Meatless Burritos

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

* 3 can(s) beans, red kidney
* 1 can(s) tomatoes, diced, undrained
* 1 1/2 cup(s) salsa
* 1 can(s) corn, whole kernel, with peppers
* 1 pepper(s), jalapeno
* 2 teaspoon chili powder
* 2 clove(s) garlic, minced
* 16 large tortilla(s), flour
* 2 cup(s) lettuce
* 1 cup(s) cheese, taco-style
* scallion(s) (green onions)

Recipe Tip: Cook 6 to 8 hours (low), or 3 to 4 hours (high).

Preparation
1. In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine beans, undrained tomatoes, salsa, corn, jalapeño pepper (if desired), chili powder, and garlic.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.

3. To serve, spoon bean mixture just below centers of tortillas. Top with lettuce and cheese. If desired, top with green onions and/or sour cream. Fold bottom edge of each tortilla up and over filling. Fold in opposite sides; roll up from bottom.

Nutritional Info (Per serving):
Calories: 205, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 471mg, Dietary Fiber: 6g, Total Fat: 3g

Letting Go

"It is hard sometimes to allow others to be who they are, especially if we feel we know what’s best for them and we see them making choices we wouldn’t make. However, if we are to be respectful and truly loving, we have to let people go, trusting that they will find their own way in their own time and understanding that it is their life to live. Just reminding yourself that the only life you have to live is your own is the first step to letting go."

Powerful words on Daily Om today...but this doesn't apply to 19 year old daughters...right??

On My Hearth: Brownies with a Twist

Beren's girls are here for part of the weekend, heading home tomorrow morning so they can spend Mothers Day with their mom. His eldest is sick with a nasty cold and doesn't have much of an appetite, has been sipping chicken soup and strawberry smoothies today but tonight I thought I'd make her a treat. Along with macaroni & cheese (to get some calories and protein in her system), I'm going to bake these tasty-sounding brownies. Should there be leftovers I'll be taking them to Kali's house tomorrow morning for our Mothers Day brunch!

Brownies with a Twist (cinnamon applesauce)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Recipe Yield: 20

Ingredients:

· 1 pkg Duncan Hines Chocolate Lover's Double Fudge Brownie Mix
· 2 single-size serving cups cinnamon applesauce
· 3 eggs
· 2 Tbsp. water
· 1/4 c. peanut butter

Directions:

1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9'x12' pan with cooking spray.
2: Mix brownie mix, eggs, applesauce, and water together until mix is moist.
3: Melt peanut butter in microwave for 30 seconds
4: Pour melted peanut butter on top of brownie mix in four lines and run a knife through to swirl into the batter.
5: Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

On My Hearth: Bean Tamale Pie

We'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo with margaritas and this tasty vegetarian dish tonight!

Bean Tamale Pie

Prep: 15 min.
Bake: 20 min.
Serves: 6
Cost per serving: $1.10

1 8 1/2-oz. package corn muffin mix
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 15-oz. can corn kernels, drained
1 4-oz. can diced chilies

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare corn muffin batter as package label directs; set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; continue stirring 1 minute longer. Add tomatoes, beans and corn; cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Pour mixture into a 9-inch pie dish. Carefully spread corn muffin batter evenly over bean mixture.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

PER SERVING: 326 Cal., 7g Fat (1g Sat), 24mg Chol., 11g Fiber, 13g Pro., 56g Carb., 721mg Sod.