Prayer Request and a Thank You

Prayer request ~


There is a wonderful family in my school that is currently visiting their family in Japan. I wish I could share a photo of this sweet 4 year old ~ he is always bubbling over with happiness and has a smile that just melts your heart! He and his family have been in Japan a couple of weeks and we are not certain where they are staying.  Numerous attempts to contact this family have been made and each one has returned silent. We are all hoping and praying this is simply due to lack of ability to communicate in the current state of chaos. If you have a few minutes, would you please lift them up in prayer for their safety and well-being, as well as all the others, during this time of turmoil and devastation. Thank you, I know the family would appreciate your prayers.




Thank you ~

Thank you SO much for your kind words and prayers. Nicholas is doing much better each day and most importantly, he is owning his success through the process. While I haven't shared all the details, they are too personal, of his bumps on the road of life; I have shared how important it is for him to work through this using his tools that we've taught him for so many years. We, as his parents, have offered him support, guidance and an abundance of love along the way. I am SO proud to say that while the struggle is very difficult, he is rising to the occasion and proving to himself a strength he didn't realize he possessed. We knew he had it all along but he had to go down this road to find it for himself. He is becoming aware of who he is as a young man and ultimately building his self-esteem to a level that can only be achieved by hard work. This my sweet son is called LIFE! As we all know, he will be faced with additional challenges as he ages. Thankfully, he will be able to draw upon this experience and apply his confidence to the next set of hurdles that is in store.

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Getting there ...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This beholder is hoping that her kitchen will be back in working order very soon and be just as beautiful as the vision she has in her dreams.




It's not exactly Starbucks but believe me, this scene would be a lot uglier if I didn't have my morning coffee. I came downstairs to find this "set up" one morning and had to laugh at the normalness of morning coffee amongst all the chaos.

I think I can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Well, I'll be able to once we have electricity in the kitchen :)

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Parenting

This week I've been greeted with the reality that parenting doesn't end ... ever. Well, it's not a new revelation exactly. Parenting changes as your child grows but the rules don't. The love intensifies, as do the worries, while each stage of growth ticks by. They require fewer boundaries for safety yet greater guidance.


Each morning I gaze out at the welcoming lines at school and I silently say to the parents of the young, enjoy the days when a kiss or hug will solve a major crisis, a battle over mixed matched clothing isn't worth having, and the reassurance of an afternoon pick up calms their child's world.


Those were the days!


It's a little more difficult {read lots} when they become older. As in young adults older. When they live many states away yet still need their mommy and daddy {sometimes} but don't want to admit it or don't know how to ask at the moment. They feel lost and want to be scooped up into our laps where we tell them everything will be just fine. However, there is such a level of, self imposed, pride, that they don't tainted. Yet what they don't understand, at this age, is that asking for help is a sign of maturity.


They also don't realize the toll it takes on us {parents} because we can no longer jump in with our Super Hero Cape on and save the day! No, instead we must allow them to fight their own battles so that the sweet victory is all theirs and the reward is self-confidence! Something that cannot be given and must be earned. It's a required lesson in becoming independent. I've had to trade in my magical cape for prayer. Lots and lots and lots of it I might add. God and I are bestie these days. He is on my speed dial and hears from me quite often.


With a few more years of life experience on my side, I know he'll be fine. We {parents} recognize these trials as mere speed bumps on the rough road of life. Oh, they were painful when we passed over them so many years ago so we understand and commiserate the pain. We too thought our world was ending or least drastically scarred and would never be the same. If only I had a video tape to replay and prove that yes, you will survive.

What my sweet son doesn't realize is that we, as his parents, are hurting with him and share in the pain because it hurts us to see him hurting. It's hard to stand silently on the sidelines of this game called life.

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Grilled salad

I promised that I would share this salad with those that have asked. Not only is this incredibly delicious, it's very easy to make.

Grilled Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese
{adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli}

Dressing:
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt ~ I don't use because the anchovies and capers are salty enough for my taste.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 to 3/4 cup good quality olive oil

Salad:
3 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise, washed and dried
20 basil leaves
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
kosher salt
1 lemon juice

Preheat grill to medium

In the blender, combine the garlic, lemon juice, capers and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, hot sauce, anchovy paste, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Adding the remaining oil if desired. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss 4 of the romaine halves in a little olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt. Put them in a single layer on the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for an additional 3 minutes. The romaine should feel slightly warm and tender. Transfer the halves to a large platter. Spoon a little dressing on each. On a flat surface, finely chop the rest of the romaine and add it to a medium bowl. Add the remaining vinaigrette, a touch of lemon juice and the basil leaves. Toss to coat the romaine.

Top the grilled romaine with some of the chopped, dressed romaine. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and serve.

~ I don't dress the entire salad with dressing so that a portion can be saved.
~Add a little grilled chicken and it makes for a great lunch the next day.

Due to my limited kitchen equipment at the moment, our meals are on the quick and easy side these days. This evening I'll be grilling so this was a perfect choice of salads.

I should also admit that I've made it 3 times since my sweet husband introduced me to it on Valentine' Day.

Yep, it's that good! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Visit Saturday Swap for a few more yummy ideas.

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Together time

You may remember a few weeks back when I shared my goals for the year. One of them was to spend more quality time with my husband and get reacquainted.

Well, this afternoon we did just that. I'm not sure a romance novel has ever been written about two lovers standing on ladders with matching spackle knives, gazing into each other’s eyes over a spray bottle while scraping white gunk off their ceiling. Probably not for good reason!



 It wasn't exactly the romantic afternoon together that I had envisioned but, we were side by side sharing many laughs. Sort of. When I wasn't busy removing spackle from my hair or what had fallen down my shirt. I know, sexy!

By the time we were finished, it looked like a flour bomb had gone off in our kitchen. The dust and globs had covered everything including us.



Who invented popcorn ceilings?
Why?
They are hideous!

I will NEVER buy a home with them again.

We agreed that now was the time to remove the nasty white nubs while the kitchen is under repair. I'm willing to pay someone when we move onto the living room.

This will all be a vision of the past in a few short days.

My new granite counters will be here in no time, my ceiling will be a pristine white and I'll be enjoying my new gas cook top. I can't wait.

Feel free to stop by for dinner.

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Feeling the love

Showering those I love and care for …

Gifts and goodies wrapped in pink and red.

Homemade truffles.

Sourcream sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting

Gift bags and packages decorated in hearts and flowers

The gift every mother gets teary over ...

Roses from her sweet son!
He had them delivered to my school ~ litle does he know that he made my day, week, and month!
I was the talk of the school ~ he impressed the entire staff with his sweet gesture.

I am one lucky mother ... thank you Nicholas!
They mean more to me than you'll ever know.

The gift of relaxation from my husband ...

He poured me a glass of wine and told me to relax while he prepared dinner.

Pure heaven!

I didn't know what to do with myself :)
This is such a TREAT that I now look forward to each year well in advance!

 

Dinner ...

Grilled romaine salad with blue cheese {SO good!}
Stuffed lobster tail
Porterhouse steak with maitre d' butter

Hope you felt a little love on Valentine's Day!

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Weekend recap

This weekend just flew by at record speed. I did manage to get quite a bit accomplished and I'm feeling pretty good heading into the new week.

Saturday was spent in showrooms making (trying to make) final decisions on new granite for the kitchen. I'm trying to keep it light in color as the back of the house, where the kitchen is located, gets little natural night. At first, I wanted to go with marble but we've been talked out of it by many people. We cook A LOT in our home and marble just didn't seem to fit in with our lifestyle. We've narrowed it down to two colors and I have to make the final decision this week as our new cook top has been ordered and is on its way. Did I tell you I'm being treated to a new one? Last week, while making dinner, I also provided a fireworks show. Yep, always a party here in our home. I shorted out two of the four burners! How you ask? I have NO idea! Thankfully my husband was home so no real damage occurred. After a long day of looking at stone, we met up with friends at our favorite sushi spot for a fun and relaxing evening.

{the white spots are from the kitchen lighting}

Thoughts?

Along with millions of others, we hunkered down Sunday evening with high caloric, but oh so good, game food and watched the Super Bowl. This years gathering was on the smaller side and most enjoyable. It was a good game but I'll be honest, I'm really in it for the food, friends and commercials : )



We ate well!

Back to healthy eating today.

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