Wednesday, November 2, 2011
My Busy Mind's Closet: November
My Busy Mind's Closet: November: Yes, it has been a very long time since I last sat down with my blog. I have been feeling like writing for a while now and today I actually...
November
Yes, it has been a very long time since I last sat down with my blog. I have been feeling like writing for a while now and today I actually have some down time to do what I want. I cannot believe it is November. This year has gone by unbelievably fast. I am now in full blown panic mode about the holidays. How does this happen every year? You would think that I would have some kind of plan in place, like the old "I'll start shopping in July story" that I tell myself every year.
I know its not the traditional time of the year to sit and reflect, but I am feeling extremely philisophical and thoughtful lately. I have been reading the book "the Secret" and have already finished a related book "The Law of Attraction" and have been trying to use these thought processes in my daily life. For those of you not familar with these books, the idea was first brought to my attention a few years ago on Oprah, (of course) I did some basic research about it and then really didnt go any further with it. This year has brought a lot of changes in my life and my way of thinking and I am like a sponge to any ideas to help me grow. I was driving to work one Sunday and listening to Oprah's Soul Series on my xm radio and she was talking about the law of attraction again and I felt like she was talking directly to me. I ordered the Law of Attraction for my Kindle that very day. I have to be honest, I really believe that there is something to it. To strip it down to basics, the secret or the law of attraction (it is known by both names) states that your we create our lives, with every thought.We are magnets attracting to ourselves the things we want, through our thoughts and feelings. If you emit negative thoughts, you attract more negativity, but if you think positively, you attact this to your life. We give out a force and an energy with our thoughts and we attract back what we send out. So I know my friends, you are thinking that I have lost my mind. The truth is, that I am a very scientific, logical thinker and don't fall for crazy stuff that people just put out there to trick lost souls, usually into spending money. This is real. I will give you an example. In July, as many of you know, I took the Lactation Consultant exam. I had studied for six months, It was difficult material and I had a lot of stuff going on in my life as I was trying to study. The test came and afterwards I had very negative thoughts, I was convinced that I failed. The results were not to be back until October 28th. In the interim I started to read about the secret, and as the time came closer to receive the results, especially in the days right before, I started to see myself, actually envision myself with the letters IBCLC behind my name. I pictured telling my friends that I had passed. I actually (in my mind) acted like it was already true. This is a big part of the law of attraction. Put out the thoughts like you already have the thing you want. Somehow, despite the fact that I had initially felt the negative feelings about the test, I transformed my thinking and I passed!
Seriously, those of you who are rolling your eyes can make your own decision, but I am just regular normal Lisa, lover of The Real Housewives series, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, The Good Wife, Jodi Piccoult books, pedicures...You know what Im saying..Im not a weirdo, just normal like you. This works for me and is helping me through some difficult stuff. Here is a link if you're interested. thesecret.tv
Now to change the subject, yesterday was an absoulutely beautiful day so I wound up going for a hike. Usually I run or hike around the Civil War Battlegrounds near my house, but I felt like a change. I wound up going to Belle Island in the City. I haven't been there since we first moved to Richmond and it was so beautiful. Sometimes I forget what an absolutely great city we have here. Here are some pictures I took.
Very excited to be going out to dinner tonight with my friends, would love to make it a once a month thing as there really are so many great restaurants in Richmond.
I know its not the traditional time of the year to sit and reflect, but I am feeling extremely philisophical and thoughtful lately. I have been reading the book "the Secret" and have already finished a related book "The Law of Attraction" and have been trying to use these thought processes in my daily life. For those of you not familar with these books, the idea was first brought to my attention a few years ago on Oprah, (of course) I did some basic research about it and then really didnt go any further with it. This year has brought a lot of changes in my life and my way of thinking and I am like a sponge to any ideas to help me grow. I was driving to work one Sunday and listening to Oprah's Soul Series on my xm radio and she was talking about the law of attraction again and I felt like she was talking directly to me. I ordered the Law of Attraction for my Kindle that very day. I have to be honest, I really believe that there is something to it. To strip it down to basics, the secret or the law of attraction (it is known by both names) states that your we create our lives, with every thought.We are magnets attracting to ourselves the things we want, through our thoughts and feelings. If you emit negative thoughts, you attract more negativity, but if you think positively, you attact this to your life. We give out a force and an energy with our thoughts and we attract back what we send out. So I know my friends, you are thinking that I have lost my mind. The truth is, that I am a very scientific, logical thinker and don't fall for crazy stuff that people just put out there to trick lost souls, usually into spending money. This is real. I will give you an example. In July, as many of you know, I took the Lactation Consultant exam. I had studied for six months, It was difficult material and I had a lot of stuff going on in my life as I was trying to study. The test came and afterwards I had very negative thoughts, I was convinced that I failed. The results were not to be back until October 28th. In the interim I started to read about the secret, and as the time came closer to receive the results, especially in the days right before, I started to see myself, actually envision myself with the letters IBCLC behind my name. I pictured telling my friends that I had passed. I actually (in my mind) acted like it was already true. This is a big part of the law of attraction. Put out the thoughts like you already have the thing you want. Somehow, despite the fact that I had initially felt the negative feelings about the test, I transformed my thinking and I passed!
Seriously, those of you who are rolling your eyes can make your own decision, but I am just regular normal Lisa, lover of The Real Housewives series, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, The Good Wife, Jodi Piccoult books, pedicures...You know what Im saying..Im not a weirdo, just normal like you. This works for me and is helping me through some difficult stuff. Here is a link if you're interested. thesecret.tv
Very excited to be going out to dinner tonight with my friends, would love to make it a once a month thing as there really are so many great restaurants in Richmond.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday Morning.
So I have been thinking about two things lately. The first is sense of self and the second is mindfulness. These are two terms that are sort of abstract and easily chalked up to "psychobabble", but actually I am starting to believe that they are the keys to happiness (along with good coffee, a nice glass of wine once in a while, a good run, a good hair day, warm sun with the hint of spring, a rainstorm with lots of thunder and lightening that has that good rain smell, and good friends that really "get you") Talking about sense of self first; sense of self is defined as those roles, attributes, behaviors, and associations that we consider most important about ourselves. In my opinion, when one does not have a strong sense of self, we let others form our sense of self by the way the react to us or their opinions about us. When we are weak in our own self-esteem, which usually starts being formed when we are very young, then we take in others sense of how we are perceived and form this into our sense of self. What it has taken me about 45 1/2 years to learn is that unless your happiness comes from within and you know what truly makes you happy, you wallow through life depending on others opinions of you, therefore living your life to gain others approval. Your sense of self when you live this way is actually a reflected sense of self, you seeing yourself how others see you, when the truth is that they may not know you at all. When you look inside and think about what things truly make you happy, things that are important to you and that don't depend on others, then you have the beginning of the early stages of happiness. I'm not sure if this will make sense to everyone, but it has truly awakened me.
Next, speaking of mindfulness, here I am talking about being present in the moment. Still a huge work in progress for me. My mind always seems to be running 2 steps ahead of what I am actually doing. This is very exhausting. So for example, if I am weeding in the garden, instead of thinking about the cool soil on my hands, the sound of the birds, the smell of the outside-I am usually thinking whats for dinner, do I have time to go to the store? A good way I am finding of practicing this skill is when people are talking to me I am really trying to listen, to take in their story and consider their feelings, rather then letting my mind wander. It is a difficult skill but one that I think can be refined with practice until it becomes a part of ones life skills. The one time I think I am truly mindful is when I am running and that is perhaps because you cant really ignore what your body is telling you when you are really exerting yourself and often with me and running, it is one tenth of a mile at a time.
I do have to say that lately I am the happiest I have been in a really long time and this is good!
Recipe of the Week
This was the hands down winner over the last week and very very easy.
Mashed Potato Enchialdas
Ingredients:
Mashed potatoes (and to be perfectly honest, I used ore ida frozen steamer mashed potatoes, I used the redskin skin ones, they microwave in the bag and then you mash them your self)
One clove garlic (minced)
2 cans Enchilada Sauce, you can use red or green
Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese.
Flour tortillas
Saute the minced clove of garlic in a little bit of olive oil until just softened, dont let it get brown. Add it to the mashed potatoes and mix it up, season the mashed potatoes as you like them with some salt and pepper.
In a glass baking dish line the bottom of the pan with enchilada sauce , take the rest of that can and pour in a large bowl. Take your flour tortillas and dip them in the bowl of enchilada sauce until coated on both sides, fill the tortilla with the mashed potato mix and fold as you would a burrito. Place in glass pan. Continue the process until your pan is full of lined up enchiladas, take the second can of sauce and top the enchiladas with the sauce. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.
The kids loved it, I served it with Spanish Rice and sour cream.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Rainy Saturday
It feels like its been winter for about a year around here. This winter has been so cold and dreary. The summer seems like so long ago. I have always been a non-winter lover anyway, but this year seems worse then usual. I crave the long daylight hours and the feel of the warm sun on my skin. The sun, to me, is a natural antidepressant. I planted about two hundred bulbs in the fall and am checking daily to see if there are any signs of green popping through the dark frozen earth yet. Yes, I know its only early February, but one of the joys of living in Virginia is that at the end of February one can rejoice to the daffodils in all their glory and know that the warm, long spring and summer days are not far behind. To satisfy my green thumb though in this non-growing, dormant time of year I have been enjoying the growth of my Amaryllis bulb that I received as a Christmas present. It seems like it grows almost an inch a day and looks strangely....well, strangely phallic.Check it out!
It will soon burst into a big, bright red bloom.
The best recipe of last week was Stuffed Peppers. I took the peppers and cut them in half and parboiled them. Then I added cooked orzo mixed with garbanzo beans, sauteed shallots with a bit of minced garlic, dried cranberries, and marinara sauce. I topped them with just a little bit of chopped hazel nuts and half of them were topped with feta cheese and the other half with asiago (the boys don't like feta) Bake for 25 minutes at 350 and serve with crusty bread. There was not a single leftover.
My oldest boy Max just asked me how to mop the floor, should I be suspicious? As I look up from typing this blog I see giant sized muddy paw prints from one end of the house to the other. Jeter (120 pounds of golden retriever love) decided to play in the mud while the boys were outside playing extreme rain basketball. Max really wants me to take him to Kroger to stock up on snacks for the super bowl tomorrow, so I'm guessing that might have something to do with his generosity.
Tomorrow for Super Bowl, (even though I work 12 tomorrow, I will be home for most of it) the dinner plan is chili dogs. Fantastic Brand makes excellent Vegetarian Chili Mix (I add two cans of beans and a can of diced tomatoes) Real Hebrew National Hot Dogs for the meat eaters and Smart Dogs for the non-meat eaters. Usually I am asleep by half time :)
It will soon burst into a big, bright red bloom.
The best recipe of last week was Stuffed Peppers. I took the peppers and cut them in half and parboiled them. Then I added cooked orzo mixed with garbanzo beans, sauteed shallots with a bit of minced garlic, dried cranberries, and marinara sauce. I topped them with just a little bit of chopped hazel nuts and half of them were topped with feta cheese and the other half with asiago (the boys don't like feta) Bake for 25 minutes at 350 and serve with crusty bread. There was not a single leftover.
My oldest boy Max just asked me how to mop the floor, should I be suspicious? As I look up from typing this blog I see giant sized muddy paw prints from one end of the house to the other. Jeter (120 pounds of golden retriever love) decided to play in the mud while the boys were outside playing extreme rain basketball. Max really wants me to take him to Kroger to stock up on snacks for the super bowl tomorrow, so I'm guessing that might have something to do with his generosity.
Tomorrow for Super Bowl, (even though I work 12 tomorrow, I will be home for most of it) the dinner plan is chili dogs. Fantastic Brand makes excellent Vegetarian Chili Mix (I add two cans of beans and a can of diced tomatoes) Real Hebrew National Hot Dogs for the meat eaters and Smart Dogs for the non-meat eaters. Usually I am asleep by half time :)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Saturday. a no agenda day
Saturdays in January and February present something this year that is rare in my house and is tending to throw my kids off. For most of their lives they have come to me each day and said, "what are we doing today?" and I give them a list that sounds something like this "Max has a game at 11, Sam has a game at 12, but also has practice at 130 and Jack has a game at 3" The beauty of January and February this year is that there are no games and usually no practices on Saturdays. For the past two years the boys have done rec basketball to take the place of "baseballess" Saturdays. But this year no basketball. Baseball practice has started but it is only Friday nights for Sam (thank you Beth Lamb for getting Sam there each week) and Sunday night for Jack (these are indoor, of course) So this morning, as I lay in my bed enjoying my morning coffee and reading my book on my kindle, as they entered one by one (without knocking of course) (and dont worry for those of you who watched Modern Family this week, I was alone :) they asked "what are we doing today?" and I said "I don't know"..."nothing on my agenda". This statement was not really true as I do have a couple of things in mind, such as clean out and shred stuff in my file cabinet, do laundry, go food shopping at trader joes (I have to drive Max out to west end later so he can hang out with his cousin and go to his talent show at Godwin) go to the gym, facebook, balance check book, move money back around that I constantly moving around and feel good that its going to savings from checking (just got paid yesterday) read some more, sweep up do hair, ...and so on, you get the point. So when I say "nothing" to the kids I really mean nothing that is of any interest to them. I posed a question to Jack and Sam. I asked them if they thought that I was in charge of entertainment. I told them that they are welcome to call their friends and make any plans they want and I am happy to drive them where they need to go. Right now they are all upstairs playing Beatles Rockband so I have a moment before someone starts hitting someone, stealing drumsticks, microphones or messing up on too many notes on the guitar which really makes Max upset as he worships the Beatles. (Which is a Blog for another day) Anyway, I used to panic at the thought of not having to be anywhere at a specific time, but I am loving it lately and knowing it wont last as Little League signups are today and next Saturday and tryouts come in Feb and then my life as I know starts again.
So so far today, besides drinking coffee and reading and checking in at face book (Jack just came in and said "they're not letting me play" so its all down hill from here...) I did do one thing constructive. I have been entering the HGTV Dream House Contest every day. You can enter twice a day. Not only do you win a house that is absolutely gorgeous (In Stowe, Vermont, but I guess if I win it I will work that all out) but you win $500,000 spending money and a brand new GMC Acadia.
That's the house and the car, nice right?
Dinner the other night was not a winner by the way. Not sure what I'm making tonight but since I'm going to trader joes I'm sure it will be something from the frozen section there. Trina had this great eggplant zucchini frozen thing in marinara sauce that was delicious and very few calories. She put it on top on pasta and it was good. I'm thinking it would also be good on brown rice or couscous.
I'm tempted here to start talking about work and how busy it was yesterday. The beautiful full moon was definitely in play. I just want to say that although we started with 7 and 8 apiece (Dana had 10 at one point) it went pretty smoothly with no drama. I want to say a big shout out and thank you to Suzette from the NICU who was a breath of fresh air. Enough said about work. Hopefully more discharges today :) although we must have discharged 10 babies and moms yesterday and they kept on coming :)
Any suggestions for next my next book ? Right now I am reading something that is called "The Ritual Bath" , It was a kindle bargain, only .99, It is about a Jewish Community in California (called a Yeshiva) that is being attacked by crime, it is also a love story about how the main character who runs the Mikvah (which is the Jewish ritual bathhouse) falls in love with the head detective on the case, who is not Jewish. It is pretty good mindless reading, but I need something better when I'm done with this. Looking forward to Alice Hoffman's new book coming out on Tuesday. Has anyone read "the Help" or "Room", I have read and heard these are supposed to be good.
So so far today, besides drinking coffee and reading and checking in at face book (Jack just came in and said "they're not letting me play" so its all down hill from here...) I did do one thing constructive. I have been entering the HGTV Dream House Contest every day. You can enter twice a day. Not only do you win a house that is absolutely gorgeous (In Stowe, Vermont, but I guess if I win it I will work that all out) but you win $500,000 spending money and a brand new GMC Acadia.
That's the house and the car, nice right?
Dinner the other night was not a winner by the way. Not sure what I'm making tonight but since I'm going to trader joes I'm sure it will be something from the frozen section there. Trina had this great eggplant zucchini frozen thing in marinara sauce that was delicious and very few calories. She put it on top on pasta and it was good. I'm thinking it would also be good on brown rice or couscous.
I'm tempted here to start talking about work and how busy it was yesterday. The beautiful full moon was definitely in play. I just want to say that although we started with 7 and 8 apiece (Dana had 10 at one point) it went pretty smoothly with no drama. I want to say a big shout out and thank you to Suzette from the NICU who was a breath of fresh air. Enough said about work. Hopefully more discharges today :) although we must have discharged 10 babies and moms yesterday and they kept on coming :)
Any suggestions for next my next book ? Right now I am reading something that is called "The Ritual Bath" , It was a kindle bargain, only .99, It is about a Jewish Community in California (called a Yeshiva) that is being attacked by crime, it is also a love story about how the main character who runs the Mikvah (which is the Jewish ritual bathhouse) falls in love with the head detective on the case, who is not Jewish. It is pretty good mindless reading, but I need something better when I'm done with this. Looking forward to Alice Hoffman's new book coming out on Tuesday. Has anyone read "the Help" or "Room", I have read and heard these are supposed to be good.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tonights Dinner
The daily question of what to make for dinner was upon me once again this morning. Steve had cut out a recipe for some potato casserole with celery root from Country Living magazine to make some time this week. He gave me a list of things to buy for it, including celery root, which has to be one of the ugliest vegetables ever. It looks like a big round ball covered in dirt. Anyway we wound up going out to PF Changs on Tuesday night (and it was so good) so he didn't make it. Wednesday night I just cook for the kids so we had cheese quesadillas and rice. So I volunteered to make the potato casserole, but I told him he had to teach me how to cut the celery root. He thought about this for a moment and told me he would make it on Sunday (thank goodness, because my least favorite job in the world is peeling potatoes). So, as I starting out saying in the first paragraph..what to make for dinner.
I looked through vegetarian times and there were some really good recipes, but seriously, the people who write that magazine must have live in chefs (I do, but not really) and grocery stores that specialize in selling things that no one has every heard of. The recipes have about 10 steps and a lot of ingredients. So, I went to my favorite in a pinch web site, morningstarfarms.com. Their recipes are simple and healthy. So tonight for dinner we are having low fat vegetarian shepherds pie. The mashed potato topping is made out of mashed cauliflower (which by the way is on sale at Kroger in the frozen vegetable section 10 for $10) You steam the cauliflower and then mash it with a little skim milk, salt and pepper. The filling is made out of morning star farms recipe crumbles (vegetarian chop meat) chopped carrots, pies, sauteed onions, a little garlic and ketchup. I got dole light ceaser salad and a loaf of crusty bread to go with it. When the boys walk in the door in a little while and they ask whats for dinner, Ill just say casserole. They will roll their eyes, but unless it's spaghetti, hot dogs, or macaroni and cheese they roll their eyes anyway. Well its all put together, I will bake it when I get back from the gym.
This is what it looks like before baking.
I looked through vegetarian times and there were some really good recipes, but seriously, the people who write that magazine must have live in chefs (I do, but not really) and grocery stores that specialize in selling things that no one has every heard of. The recipes have about 10 steps and a lot of ingredients. So, I went to my favorite in a pinch web site, morningstarfarms.com. Their recipes are simple and healthy. So tonight for dinner we are having low fat vegetarian shepherds pie. The mashed potato topping is made out of mashed cauliflower (which by the way is on sale at Kroger in the frozen vegetable section 10 for $10) You steam the cauliflower and then mash it with a little skim milk, salt and pepper. The filling is made out of morning star farms recipe crumbles (vegetarian chop meat) chopped carrots, pies, sauteed onions, a little garlic and ketchup. I got dole light ceaser salad and a loaf of crusty bread to go with it. When the boys walk in the door in a little while and they ask whats for dinner, Ill just say casserole. They will roll their eyes, but unless it's spaghetti, hot dogs, or macaroni and cheese they roll their eyes anyway. Well its all put together, I will bake it when I get back from the gym.
This is what it looks like before baking.
Here I go
So, one of my personal New Years resolutions was to start a blog. The part of me that I am really trying to work on this year (the part of me that is always worried what people will think) said to me "what if no one reads it, is interested in it or cares about it"? but you know what? Then I have a really sweet diary/journal of my thoughts. I thought to myself that if one of my friends, acquaintances, peers, co-workers had a blog, I would probably read it because, first and foremost, I am nosy and also I like to see how others who are living similar lives do things and how they do them. So, here it is.
I am trying to figure out exactly how I will organize my blog. I would like to include recipes that have worked out, decorating tips, coupons tips and good deals that I have gotten like Amy Taylor does...but also thoughts and stories about my life. If you enjoy it, let me know.
This will be a work in progress...but aren't we all works in progress.
I am trying to figure out exactly how I will organize my blog. I would like to include recipes that have worked out, decorating tips, coupons tips and good deals that I have gotten like Amy Taylor does...but also thoughts and stories about my life. If you enjoy it, let me know.
This will be a work in progress...but aren't we all works in progress.
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