1. pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. open the book to page 123.
3. find the fifth sentence.
4. post the next three sentences.
5. tag five people.

:::: picking up the nearest book.

:::::::: turning to page 123.

:::::::::::::::here is the fifth sentence;

“4. puree the drained vegetables in a food mill, using hte fine grating disk. thin the soup with the reserved cooking liquid to the consistency you like (it should not be too watery or too thick).
5. correct the seasoning and add fresh herbs of your choice.

bring the soup to a boil.

{the nearest book of mine was mireille guiliano’s book, “french women don’t get fat”}

i love this book. love it. yes, you do have to get past her snobbish-ness about how much ‘better’ the french are at just about, well, durn near everything. but once you realize it is nothing meant to be taken ‘personally’, you can really focus on just processing the beauty that she shares…and utilize her approach to ‘eating’.

it isn’t actually an approach so much as it is a lifestyle. a mentality. and it’s true… to me there is nothing better than an outdoor farmers market…coming home with loads of fresh fruits, veggies, pasteries, and oh yes…fresh baked artisan breads!! and then creating something wonderful in the kitchen that night. …not that i don’t enjoy chowing down on the ‘in & out’ ( make mine a double double with raw AND saute’d onions, and lots of salt on my fries please) – oh those burgers make me weak in the knees…but for the most part, i look forward to making our meals. before kids, i would spend hours in the kitchen, making up my own recipes…i was passionate about cooking.

well…since finding her books, they have reignited a source of inspiration for me …and for that i am grateful. i am so excited that spring is here…and i have been on the hunt for some fresh leeks. her magical leek soup is a wonderful soup to use at the beginning of what she calls ‘the recast’. she does not approach life with diets, but instead talks about ‘recasting’ ones body. i am planning on doing the magical leek soup weekend coming up here sometime this month.

i believe wholeheartedly on lots of daily walks, sipping water through out my day, taking only a few bites of a rich dessert…and indulging every day in small ways….all of these things are ‘of a pampering’ to ourselves. i am not one for diets. not at all. i will not deprive myself of good chocolate, good coffee and i must have some every day!! but i have taught my taste buds to enjoy the first few sips and bites…after that, it is true, the taste and texture is just not the same.

dr weil is another of my favorites. his philosophy on the ‘spirit of eating’ is something i have been practicing for a while now. i have always been a lover of food. all kinds of food…i could never give up meat, but i usually don’t indulge more than once a month on red meat.

it is all about ‘cultivating’ a sense of balance…for me, i am happiest when living this way. everyday i try to make sure that i have done just a few certain things no matter what…that i have prayed, that i have walked, that i have had a good intake of pure filtered water, and that i have laughed, loved and hugged.

if i have done at least those things….i am feeling pretty good

possibly not born until they arrive,

and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”

~Anais Nin

Alexandria at silverbell cottage has passed this lovely ‘award’ on to me…. i think it is just so pretty…..{this has been the year of the ‘bird’ for me….so i was smitten with this sweet graphic the moment i saw it } Alexandria is an author and a poet and i admire her immensely. it never fails that when i leave her beautiful blog, i have been lifted. her poetry is immensely soulful. she paints vivid pictures with words, and her poems always seem to wrap around my own past experiences like soft blankets of comfort. i just love that. it’s magical when you stumble onto someone thoughts {blog} and there is that rare moment when you hear yourself suddenly gasp out loud and say…’wow, this person is so amazing’. that is what i feel about Alexandria. she is stunningly gorgeous and full of sophistication…a bit mysterious but so soft at the same time. i just imagine myself sinking into her big comfy sofa with milo on my lap, chitchatting about books, love and poetry, while she whips up a killer batch of her amazing chocolate biscuit tarts.

it was a while back that Jen at sunnispace honored me with this blogger award (sorry that it has taken me a bit to get this up jen ) jen is almost like my ‘blogging soul sister’ in the sense that we both seem to view the world so much through similar eyes. i discovered this once i became an avid reader of her amazing blog. there have been moments i have found myself laughing out loud at the ironies of our similarities. we both have a deep love for our family and adventures and exploring. she is also a person that i would consider to be of the ‘quintessential girlfriends ‘friend’ kind- you know, the one who would keep all of your secrets and always say the ‘right thing’ at the right time. a friend of fun and of comfort. a rare find. i know if we lived closer we would be having big laughs together, either off on a hiking trail thru some wooded forest, or sitting in some poshy hotel restaurant…giggling together over a glass of wine.

both of these women have added so much beauty to my life…all because they chose to share with the world their dreams, views, thoughts, and daily lives thru the unique portal of blogging. what a treasure..truly indeed. i have been inspired by so many of you. i enjoy naptime around here when the little ones are down, and i have a few moments to sit and relax with my feet up and ‘visit’ my blogger buddies. yes, there are other things, more ‘productive’ things, such as cleaning {again and again}, but i like to look at this downtime as a little luxury for my mental health. it is the one part of my day that i enjoy peeking into the lives of the women i have come to love and care for thru this ‘special’ medium of communication.

oh how i wish we all could meet at some outdoor cafe with our doggies in tow, sip our latte’s and hear one another’s ‘talking voices’. watch each other smile and see each others hands holding coffee cups. hear each other’s laugh, the curve of the face and the scent of perfume….i share so much with you all here on this blog, well…things that i don’t share with my friends in ‘real’ time. you know what i am trying to say?…i am sure you do.

there is a special connections that bloggers share. i am so happy that we all have that. i love my blogger buddies….hugs and kisses to you all today!!

so…in honor of these very special awards i would love to bestow them upon some very special blogging buddies that i adore very much….

kat at secrets of a butterfly
veronica at petunia
sandy at reluctant entertainer

When on life’s journey it becomes our lot to travel with criticism of skeptics, the hate of some, the rejection of others, the impatience of many, or a friend’s betrayal, we must be able to pray in such a manner that an abiding faith and a strong testimony that the Lord will be with us to the end, will compel us to say, “Nevertheless, Father, Thy will be done, and with Thy help, in patience I will follow firmly on the path that takes me back to thee”

are you narcissistic or something?
no one wants to look at you!
your fat
your dumb
nice try!
see! i told you so.
your wasting time
your fat!
your just getting so old looking
who do you think you are?
what are you doing?
what will your family think?
self portraiture is petty and selfish
don’t be so self centered!
your fat!!
put that camera down.
your too dumb to figure out lighting
how stupid!
what are you thinking!
don’t you have laundry to put away?
the kids deserve a better mom than you.
your fat!!!
your just not very pretty
your glory days are over
who are you trying to fool.

why?

because i am feeling lost. burried beneath the laundry…like a lost slipper or a forgotten journal….and then there are the dishes. the kids. the tasks. the ‘to do’s. i have never been a girl to allow self indulgence. perhaps this is my own fault. perhaps i should have given in. i want to listen more. i want to hear my own whispers. it’s loud right now. i crave a soft place.

i am going to allow myself to explore the deeper well that is bubbling up from inside. i want to know what i need again. i have allowed myself to become a little ‘one dimensional’. i love my husband. and yet….i have neglected the woman he loves.

why.

because i have let that critic have a place in my home. so today i am grabbing the broom and sweeping the cobwebs out of here…..

today is my day to shine again. i am climbing up out of this crawl space.

any suggestions for a flu bogged, overly medicated, disheveled and achy mommy trapped in pajama world?

:::gulp::: sniffle :::: cough:::::

help.

it’s late here now, i am still in my jammies as i write this ( living a week in ones jammies can be truly liberating!)…sundance is at my feet…the rain is pouring outside and the kids are finally all tucked in…hopefully tonight will bring a solid nights sleep where the wee ones are concerned. david actually ended up staying home from work this morning with aches, nausea and a slight fever too…. not fun. we all spent the day just cuddled up together in our own little brands of flu ish’ness.

the lovely flowers are from my mom. they arrived on my doorstep on wednesday. it was so thoughtful and so wonderful to open the door and see them sitting there! it made my day. truly. my mom is very thoughtful that way. she is always reaching out to others, with cards, letters, flowers, candies….i love that about her. and i deeply and truly appreciate every special thing she sends our way

i have been meaning for some time now to post about a lovely blogger sister Jen Ballantyne, i don’t know jen personally, but i think of her many times throughout my day. and she has been heavy on my mind this entire week while my health has been poor….yes, i have been struggling with the flu…but this lovely and courageous woman is struggling with so much more. she is a single mother, who was recently told she has about a year left to live. she is writing about this all in her blog the comfy place.

i say a prayer for jen each and every day….sometimes several prayers. if i could i would fly to australia just to sit beside her….and gently hold her hand. i feel helpless, but such a deep connection with her that is unexplainable. i can never begin to pretend i have any inkling of what this sweet woman is facing…but i am no stranger to sadness and heartbreak…..so i wish i could just ‘be there’ when she felt freightened, or alone or sad.

i know that many other lovely women have come alongside jen in this journey…jen lemen and meg casey to name a few….i encourage anyone reading this post to visit her blog and be among the loving souls who would lift jen today in her courageous battle.

jen ballantyne, you are loved and lifted and prayed for today and always……

tea, cough drops….diapers changes.

rinse, lather repeat.

:::life is special :::::

i have recently discovered and fallen in with jen lemen’s blog. she is a kindred spirit and her blog is full of just beautiful posts written with sweetness about her family, friends and her love for life. i like to stalk her blog almost daily now…it has helped me thru a recent hiccup so thank you jen lemen. you are a beauty. {i love that part of blogger ‘connecting’ don’t you?} today her post was asking her readers to share their ‘love stories’….“The one you’d love to tell? Or the one you haven’t spoken yet, for reasons all your own?”

i guess for me, my love story is more about courage, grace, and plan b. thru loves door, i have found forgiveness for those who chose to leave…grace for those who chose to come back and all the while it was really ‘plan b’ that brought me the most joy. love has taught me that God is more mysterious than i ever imagined. and ultimately it is His love that remains when all else falls away as it sometimes does. people are fragile and human…and sometimes broken too. but love is always worth giving…no matter how it ends up. it is never wasted. i am hopeful of this…and should be certain about it in due time

love has taught me to hope and to dream. to wait and to pray. to laugh and to cry. love has taught me that it is worth the sacrifice it takes sometimes. love is also duty, and as the line goes in one of my favorite movies, “… the only thing that counts is the love of duty; when love and duty are one, then grace is in you and you will enjoy a happiness which passes all understanding.”

‘love’. how do you capture this one word and cage it? how do you explain it? love is a wild child. unpredictable. an art unto itself. love tucks you in at night and kisses your cheek softly. it flows in and out in gentle waves, and can crash down with a turn of the tide, leaving one drenched with sorrow and fragile from it’s aftermath. and most of the time – we may fear it is eluding us, when actually, it is within our grasp all along.

i have a favorite poem that i have often times read before, during and after a broken heart. this poem brings me comfort and cuts to the point of love and life for me….and i would love to share it here. it is written by oriah mountain dreamer.

so, what is your ‘love story’? would you care to share with me?

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.