Winter in the Midwest BRRRR.....

So by now anyone that knows me knows how much I hate winter... So all you can do is just make the best of each and every day. So after some sweet talking I talked my husband into going to one of our favorite summertime places the stray dog but first we had to go down to the beach and take some pictures of the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day.Now I know these are not ideal conditions to go to the beach but.... it is really refreshing to go to the beach especially when you have beautiful blue skies which mind you are a rare thing in the midwest in the middle of January. It really was a beautiful day and sometimes the things that are a pain to do end up being so rewarding. It truly was a fabulous day to take photos at the beach the lighting was perfect, and the air was so crisp and clean. There is a peacefulness about the beach in the winter, no summer crowds no blaring radios just peaceful, clean and natural.

I think when you go to the beach in the middle of winter it makes you appreciate it even more in the summer. It really is amazing what a transformation the beach goes through every season. Maybe that is mother natures way of making you slow down and appreciate every day that we have and to really appreciate all the good things in our lives. Sometimes we have to wait for things and when we do we are truly rewarded for being patient. Trust me it is really hard to be patient for spring when it is only 15 degrees outside!
I love all the beach grasses they are doing their best to stay put in the harsh winter winds but somehow they do. Maybe we should take note from them,stay grounded and true to ourselves!
So as we head into monday and back to our daily grind try and find something to be appreciative off. Even the beach in the winter has something to offer us. You just have to be willing to bundle up and make the effort, and when you do you are so glad you did.

So today I am truly thankful that I had the chance to spend the day with my husband and that we are both healthy and able to get out and live life. That is my new motto just "live life" and enjoy every day and make every day count. So as you start your work week think about the things that really matter and try and not get caught up in the rat race of life. Our lives are so precious and they can be taken away at any time. Every day we have is a gift and you should honor it. I hope you have a fabulous week and remember there is always someone more wealthy than you, someone a little smarter , more physically fit than you and so on and on, so don't take life for granted be happy with what you have some people are not so fortunate. Live Life !

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." Albert Camus

Live Life , Love Life

Sometimes life just doesn't go according to plan an that is OK. I think as I get older I am really learning what really is important. I realize that you may have a certain set of expectations for yourself and sometimes you have to live in the moment and not be tied to the things you think you have to do, its ok to go a little of course. Sometimes when we change our intended plans we end up appreciating certain things that we may take for granted on a daily basis. I had high hopes today to ride the trainer but instead I had some vino with my sister and spent quality time together and just truly appreciated the time I had with my sister. Life get's so crazy and we often just don't make the time to tell our friends and family how much we love and appreciate them. I often think to myself I could step of the curb and get hit by a car or a ceiling tile could fall on my head and that would be the end, so I believe you have to wake up every day and savor it, you may not get the opportunity to do all the things you dream about. You have to make your best effort every day to just appreciate and focus on the GOOD things you have and not the things you wish you had.

So stop procrastinating and just make things happen. Quit making excuses just follow your heart and if your heart says skip the workout and spend time with friends and family then do just that and don't beat yourself up. Love yourself enough to know that you are not perfect and life is not perfect. Life doesn't always go according to plan and as I always say sometimes the best things in life are the ones not planned. If you take the pressure of yourself you will never be disappointed. It's great to have life goals don't get me wrong but I think we get caught up in trying to be the perfect wife the perfect friend, just do what your heart says feels right and stop stressing about the things that really don't matter. when our number is up it won't really matter how much money we have , how successful we are, did we have the big house ,those are just THINGS and they really don't matter, its the memories we created and the time spent with friends and loved ones.

Make every day count and just be YOU...

Have a fabulous Tuesday !!!

" remember your yesterdays, dream your tomorrows and live your todays. "

Christmas Festivities 2009

The holidays are upon us and you know what that means... Cocktails, friends and good times. Just thought I would share some of my holiday festivities.

Yummy Pomegranate martinis ... oh and notice we have the same shirt on, so not planned but too funny!!!!




Wishing all of my friends and family peace , joy and love this Christmas.
Cheers!

Happy Winter Solstice

Cheers to the return of the sun, Hooray we will begin to gain daylight from here on out. Hope you take time to enjoy and celebrate each season. So light some candles or have a fire this symbolizes the return of the sun, let's just hope spring comes early.

~ HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE ~

Family Traditions

Last weekend my family went to cut down a Christmas tree. This has been a family tradition for my sister and I for a long time. Now I didn't get a tree this year but in keeping with tradition we went along to have family time and we have since added Molly to our tradition. It was super cold this day but we trudged on looking for that perfect tree.
Wow Haley is almost as tall as me, not quite but I have no doubt she will be and may even be taller! Wow where does time go.... It is so cool to be passing on my traditions with my niece and nephew.
I know what you are thinking... the husband looks less than thrilled in this picture probably because it was freezing this day and I asked him to take a million pictures, none the less he was a trooper , and happily took the pictures that I asked him to take for me :-) I really do have an awesome husband he puts up with all my crazy antics!
Noah brought his chain saw so he can help cut down the tree too cute! Oh yeah and his monkey had to come along too and be part of the tradition. Do you have any family traditions? I have many traditions some new some old but none the less I love them, they mean a lot too me. I think along the way in life people have forgotten about their family traditions and it is really a shame. So I hope you get to spend time with your family this holiday season and share in a tradition or even start new ones. Traditions are a great way to spend time with and appreciate the people you love. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I can't wait for my next tradition, mimosas on Christmas morning. Now this was not my original tradition it was my sisters mother in laws who sadly is no longer with us , so to honor her we will be toasting to her memory on Christmas morning. Rest in peace Janis Case you are gone but not forgotten!!!

BRRRRR.... it's Fresh Friday!

Ok well I think we have to come to the realization that winter is upon us and you know what that means living in the midwest ... it means get ready to bunker down and try and stay warm and cozy for the next few months! So for me it means getting cozy with my dear friend cabernet :-) Now I ABSOLUETLY hate winter but I am going try very hard to stay positive and cheerful, it is quite a challenge when our winters are so brutal. So there will be many nights where I will light all my candles, turn on the jazz pour a glass of vino and dream of warm beachy places. Ah to Dream.... that is how I plan on getting through this harsh reality of winter in the midwest. I also plan on trying new yummy recipe so on that note here is my Fresh Friday recipe now I have to say this is one of my absolute favs!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

For the peanut sauce...

1/3 cup of water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup cooking sherry
2/3 cup peanut butter (your choice) to be healthy you can use smart balance.
blend all ingredients with a wisk and microwave until smooth.

In the meantime... saute in a wok
edamame
bean spouts
chick peas(aka garbano beans)
Shiitake mushrooms

Add 5-6 basil leaves
1/2 freshly grated ginger
2-3 fresh garlic gloves minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs cooking sherry

Cook all veggies to desired doness
serve in lettuce cups now I tried butter crisp lettuce and they are great just not so sturdy I suggest iceburg, not my favorite lettuce but it is actually great for this dish

add chopped carrots, chopped peanuts or cashews and dollop a little peanut sauce on each. Fantastic, you must try this dish I REPEAT If you like asian style food you will love this and will dream about it!

I think this dish would be great paired with a nice glass of Reisling just my humble opinion on wine and food pairings. The sweetness of the wine balances the spice in this dish.

Hope you have a great weekend and try to stay warm and cozy!

Cheers~

Camping Brown County Thanksgiving Weekend

So this is how our camping weekend started out with this amazing sunrise. Now it is not very often you get to appreciate a beautiful sunrise. The sky looked like it was on fire. This was one of those moments that you just savored the experience completely. I took a deep breath and said to myself how lucky am I to be able to enjoy this.
Then we rolled into the little sleepy town of Nashville Indiana and walked around and looked at all the cute little shops that were all decked out for the holidays, I think that really got me in the Christmas spirit. We went back that same night to see the town a lit up with all the twinkle lights, they even had trolly all done up like a sleigh too cute!

So the hubby went off to ride 20 some odd miles of mountain bike trail within the park. I stayed back at the campsite and hung out with Molly and drank vino and made my self a little campfire , so perfect and so relaxing. I really needed to recharge my batteries. We headed out the next morning to do a little hiking and we were welcomed by this nice little lake, truly a beautiful day for a hike in the woods.
The sky was so clear and blue this day...

All in all we had a fabulous weekend camping, we squeezed every last drop put of this perfect weekend. You truly have to jump at every opportunity that comes your way and enjoy it to it's fullest. I say we did just that! Get out and enjoy every day even the not so pretty ones.