My Life Philosophy

Work like you don't need the money,

love like you've never been hurt &

dance like no one is watching!


My top two favorite DINNER RECIPES I'm going to share with you!!!

 
#1) My Grandma's English Cheesy Meat Loaf Log

 

 
Now let me preface this with saying: If you are not a meatloaf lover you should try this anyway! It is amazing even if you don't like meatloaf... I promise!

 
  • 2 lbs Ground Sirloin (90%-10%)
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs ( I like homemade but the store bought will do as long as they aren't flavored )
  • 1 package Beefy Lipton Onion powdered soup mix
  • Salt, pepper to taste
  • 1 package finely shredded marble jack cheese
 
Mix everything EXCEPT CHEESE together in a large mixing bowl

 
Lay out large piece of wax paper and spread out the meat loaf on the wax paper about one inch thick and as wide as your loaf pan ( about 9 in wide )

 
cover with shredded cheese and roll up like a cinnamon roll
tap and form so that it all comes together in a nice neat log

 
Place in the bottom of a glass 9x11 dish

surround the loaf with pealed
thinly wedged potatoes, sea salt and pepper seasoned

 
Cover with foil

 
Bake @ 400 for 1 hour
Uncover, bake 20 extra minutes depending on your oven 

 
let stand for 15 min prior to slicing, serve with tangy red sauce (see below)

 

 
Tangy Red Sauce - Ketchup and Worcestershire mixed together ( I don't have a measurement on this, its just to your preference and taste)

 
FYI - my Grandma use to make several of these at once and even make them into mini rolls and freeze them for future dinners, pop them in the oven at a higher temp (I have no idea what temp) and cook them a little longer (I have not idea how long)... they were actually better from the frozen logs she cooked! I'm sorry I don't know the temp or cook time... my family is large and we never have any leftovers!!! :-)

 
Love Love Love with a 2010 Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon  which according to their web site has aromas of plum, raspberry and cherry cola with hints of anise, cocoa, leather and dried herbs. Bright acidity on the front of the palate leads to a complex mid-palate and soft tannins on the finish!

 

 
#2) Crisp Mixed Green Asian Salad

  • Mixed Greens
  • Green Onions (finely chopped)
  • Cucumbers (chopped)
  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Artichoke Hearts (canned in water and drained)
  • Dried Cranberries
  • Roasted Sunflower Seeds
  • Crisp Green Apple (thin wedges)

Now for the best part of the whole salad!!!!

Dressing
In a small/medium bowl
Extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup
Apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup
Roasted sesame seed oil 1 Tbls
Green wasabi horse radish 1 Tbls
Garlic powder 1 tsp
Onion powder 1 tsp
Powdered Ginger 1 Tbls
Salt Pepper to taste

Whisk it all together and pour over the salad then add 1/2 Cup shredded Parmesan Cheese!!!


Try this with a great white wine... Try the new kid on the block!!! Tree-Free Yellow Tail Chardonnay, it has a lighter, more crisp flavor profile than the traditional yellow tail Chardonnay, with hints of citrus and grapefruit and light melon flavors.




FYI... this salad started with my friend Lil' Chels and has since evolved in my house to my own slightly different mix... but it all started back in the day... Muahhhh :-X






Loves,

Amazing in the kitchen :-)

Its to early to have these deep thoughts...

THURSDAY THOUGHTFUL SPOT...

I'm very thoughtful this morning and here's why...

Strange to me that two very normal and none thought provoking actions have sent me into brain mush. Normally reading a novel or going to a movie is just a few hours spent not having to really think about life and reality... Not so much with the recent entertainment I have had...


I am reading a "Trash-tastic" book, I'm sure you've heard of it Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James.  It's so good, I cant put it down!! It's also so provocative that this little baptist girl has a hard time reading it! Wow... I will say no more just in case you haven't read it! So my brain is thoughtful mush because all I can think about is that dang book!!
I stayed up way too late last night for a Ripening woman of my age... After a late work event (that included an adult beverage or two) I meet a friend and we went to The Dark Knight Rises (Batman Movie)... Excellent movie!! I am not normally a super hero kind of movie watcher at all, but it was just a really really good movie!!
I have to say that as I sat in the theater of course I could not help but look around and take a second glance at the people around me, wonder about the exit door and glance over at it every so often thinking about the shooter in Colorado... I said a little prayer for the victims of such a senseless crime and for their families who are suffering beyond imagination. The day after the shooting I read a blog titled So you STILL think God is a merciful God?! reposted on FB by my cousin.  I found it to be a very very poignant statement about the shooting.  Go read it if you have 3 minutes ... it is worth the time spent... Click here

And yes... to answer the question raised... I Do believe He is a merciful God !!

Signed,

Thoughtful and Thankful

Ripening... Not Sad!!!


It's sad to grow old, but nice to ripen. ~Brigitte Bardot
 Today I am exactly 30 years older than I was in this picture...

This morning it hit me... I am officially over the hill headed toward 40!! OMG... thats crazy!! For most of my life I have been the "young one"... I was always the young cousin, or the youngest at the table (I went to dinner with my grandparents a lot) or the young wife, I've always had friends usually older than me... I dont feel as if I deserve the "young one" title anymore... I am stripping myself of that title... I am officially grown up as of TODAY!!! Happy Birthday to me!!!

My son asked me this morning "Mom, are you old enough to be a grandma now?" :-(  
(Please God, not yet! My daughters are too young to have babies)
I told him "NO!!!"
~pause~
"I am only 26!!! You have to be at least 50 to be a grandma!!!"
DEAR GOD I LIED TO MY 8 YEAR OLD!!!

My Great-Grandmother Edna told everyone she was 39 years old... I thought she was 39 when she was 70!! Now thats either because she looked AMAZING at 70, or because she acted like she was young and viberant even at the age of 70... or both!!! I want to be like Grandma E when I grow up!

All I know is this...

Today I am 36 years old and I feel amazing...
I am blessed beyond anything I could have ever imagined...
I burn the candle at both ends, constantly living life to the fullest and always wanting more...
I feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my whole life...
I finally understand and appreciate "No Drama" ... 
I am at peace with "never judge others lest ye be judged"
I value my true friendships and realize that I dont need 2 million friends, just real friends...
I have finally started drawing a line in the sand and not allowing everyone to dictate my time...
   (I think my life coach called that "boundries")

I think I've started "ripening" as Brigitte Bardot called it... But!!!!!!! I am NOT sad... I am HAPPY to be turning 36 and ripening...

BRING IT ON 40 ! ! !

Signed,
Birthday Girl

Zoom Zoom...


My Thoughtful Spot today is this:


OMG!!! My baby girl is driving and I'm scared!!!

Talk about push your baby bird out of the damn nest!!!!





Congrats Wenie!!!

Love,

Very Nervous Momma Bird



NEVER DRIVE FASTER THAN YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL CAN FLY....

Top 2 Tuesdays!!!

My Top Two on this Tuesday...


RileyRoo and Wenie!!!

This is the silly pics from our vacation this summer to Colorado... These two girls are hEEEElarious!!!!

 

Love you sweeties!!!

Signed,
Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!


Thank you to the men and women who serve our country and keep my family safe in my home at night... First and foremost God has blessed our country beyond any imaginable measure and then secondly we have amazing men and women who fight to keep our country a safe and free place to live... Thank you!!!

I am blessed to call one of these brave men my brother-in-law!!!

So today on this Wednesday I will give a shout out to him...

Bradley Michael Robinson


He is a Sgt in the Army based at Fort Hood Texas... 
He's silly and serious all at the same time... 

He thinks he is SUPERMAN and he just might be :-)

Brad started dating my little sister Kari Banana in Tuttle Oklahoma. They are high school sweethearts and he is most definitely a sweetheart!!! :-* Muahhh





 
He is an AMAZING DADDY to my little princess niece Miss TayTay...


He sacrificed for our country and missed seeing his little girl grow from a baby to a big girl... He and my sister did it all with a smile on their face, missing each other and tears at night, but with their heads held high for the grueling 12 months he was deployed...


He thinks he can dance...


He is obsessed with working out... "Damn you look good in that mirror Bubba" :-)
He just might be the next TIGER... Whoot Whoot

But most importantly he LOVES Jesus, his Momma and my Lil' Sister Banana & Niece TayTay....  

THANK YOU BRAD MICHAEL ROBINSON...

LOVE,
Your Proud Sister ~ Me



Top Two things I loved about our vacation lasts week:


Number 1:  White Water Rafting!!! If you haven't done it... DO IT!!!




We had so much fun... last year the water was at a crazy crazy level... In river terms its all about the CFS and this year it was around 450 CFS when we rafted a full day starting in Buena Vista Colorado and rafted on the Arkansas River through Browns Canyon about 14 miles... last summer Whenie and I rafted a half day starting in Cotopaxi through Big Horn Sheep Canyon on the Arkansas River and the river peaked the day we rafted at 4800 CFS.... Thats CRAZY white water... This year was a blast and I am honestly thankful it was only 450 CFS because I had my Lil Man with us and he's only 8... The three teenagers had a blast and for Lil Man it was just enough fun that he didn't cry and want out! Perfect....


Number 2:   Estes Park... Its a close tie between Boulder & Estes Park


we drove in the back side from Boulder on 36... it was a rough drive up up up the mountain in the RV but when we came around the corner and saw the view it was all worth it!!! 20 degrees cooler than it was in Denver and it was about 20 min till dusk... the lake was gorgeous and the little town was perfection... We pitched camp in the KOA which was right across the street from the lake!!! Amazing views... we played bean bag toss in the dark... I polished off a whole bottle of the Kendal Jackson unoaked chardoney... we laughed and giggled and stayed up till 2 am playing games with the kids... memories the kiddos will never forget!!!



 Signed,

Exhausted Mom after a week long vacation............

My Thursday Thoughtful Spot...









I have prayed this pray a thousand times but today as I passed it in our hall I stopped and read it in a different light for the first time...

Here's my thoughts...



God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change...
I work so hard to make things different in my world... worrying about if I'm being a good wife, is my house clean enough, is the laundry out of control, am I being a good Mom and do my kids know how much I love them, are my finances in line, am I working hard enough to make my employer happy and also make enough money, have I forgot a certain friend and not called them enough and they are mad at me...
I work so hard to make things different in my world... worrying about if I'm being a good wife, is my house clean enough, is the laundry out of control, am I being a good Mom and do my kids know how much I love them, are my finances in line, am I working hard enough to make my employer happy and also make enough money, have I forgot a certain friend and not called them enough and they are mad at me...

I truly thought about the word "serenity"... serene, peaceful, quiet, tranquil and still... None of my worries are this! The moreI try to change things around me the less tranquil and calm I am... I'm uptight, frustrated, loud, fidgety and anxious. I cant be a perfect wife, my house will always be a mess no matter how much I do, the laundry will always be piling up, my kids knew I loved them the second they were conceived and grew in my tummy, I make a good living and I must be doing something right because I work on commission and I am fine, my friends are just that... friends... if they are angry or upset because of whatever then they aren't truly friends...

The courage to change the things I can...
This lead me to the next line... I do make a difference and its about recognizing that, and having the courage to believe in myself...I am a good wife, I have a warm home not just a messy house. I have amazing kiddos that I adore and they love me no matter my faults. I have a roof over my head, food in my cabinets and a job to get up and go to every day.  I must be good at my job because I work on commission and somehow every single month I have a decent paycheck. I have amazing friends that are there for me even if we don't talk every single day. I do make a difference in my world. I change things all the time and its not about having courage to change its about having the courage to trust myself.

finally...

The wisdom to know the difference.
Serenity and Courage... Peaceful quiet change & strength faith and trust...

There is a time and place for change and today I will stay calm and trust that when I need to do something different than what I'm currently doing, God will show me the direction I need to make a change and I will trust Him... quiet peaceful change that happens because of His wisdom and not my own.

Signed,

Serene & Courageous

What I'm Lovin' Wednesdays

Happy Happy Hump Day Peeps.........

I woke up this morning with some very very heavy hearted stuff lifted!!! I have had a ton of drama going on in my life concerning my kids and as of today is vanished... Thank God!

So on to what I'm lovin' on this happy light hearted Wednesday!

*** I'm lovin' SUMMER!!! Today is the first official day of summer and to celebrate I will be stopping by La Madeleine for a FREE ICED TEA... Have one with me!?!?!?!


***I'm lovin' that its only 2 1/2 days till I am on SUMMER VACATION!!! If you followed me last summer you knew that I went camping with my teenage daughter and her cousin... These city girls went camping people... seriously camping... in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado livin' in a dang tent!!! We had a blast and were masters of the wild might I add!!!



So this year we are doing round 2... Except... The whole Fam-Damn-ily is going!!! All 6 of us... the only difference is that we are doing it all Grazwold Style... Yup! Family Vaca in a RV... Am I crazy??? Maybe... but I love a good adventure...

So on this Happy Hump day we call Wednesday, I am Lovin' SUMMER and all that entails... Sweet Iced Tea from La Madeleine and Family Vacation right around the corner...

Stay tuned, I'm sure the Griswold vacation story will be one for the books...

Signed,

Sweet Southern Summertime Girl
I miss blogging! I got completely out of the habit and it's just like journaling or reading books... You never really knew how much you loved it or how you always found time to do it but you did! I have to start again... I miss my followers and I miss going back and reading about my own crazy life of madness... I gave up the laptop when it wasn't available to me as a work computer and I got an i-Pad... Love my i-Pad but I struggle with really using it to type anything significant... i.e. blogging! I know!!! You are saying excuses excuses... But like I always told my dad...
"They might be excuses but they are still reasons explaining the Why!!!"

So love me and don't judge me peeps!!




Sincerely,


I'm Back!!!

"After a storm... comes a calm."


I am ready for calm...

I feel as if there as been a storm going on for a while now and it seems to either be brewing, exploding or brewing again... Its not only been in my own life but all around me in the lives of my peeps.

Robert Frost said it best... "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life; It Goes On"

Life does move on after storms and sometimes the storms leave behind a trail of devastation but what is amazing is that no matter how bad the destruction is, there is always new life and new growth that pops up all over the place literally less than 24 hours later.  

So for all of us that have experienced or are going through a storm of some sort... I know from my own personal experience and also because He tells us "For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Always,

Ms. Sunshine