Must Love Tomatoes

The moon’s glow is so bright tonight.

It is inspiring.

So is looking around our backyard and seeing the strong and tall river birch we planted three years ago.

And feeling that thick, lush grass under my feet. Hard to believe that we tilled the dirt and planted the seeds six years ago.

I have so much to be proud of in my life. As long as I stay focused on the positive and what means the most to me personally, I will succeed.

I have made these tasty almond treats more times than I can count. They are good, and good for you.

They are always a hit at parties too!

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

HOW MOVIES AND TV INFLUENCED MY LIFE: “80’S Sitcoms” Installment

Have you ever tried warm milk? Have you ever tried warm milk at 2:20 am when you can’t sleep?

Elise Keaton always made warm milk for Alex P. Keaton when he couldn’t sleep because Courtney Cox broke up with him.

Dr. Jason Seaver made Carol Seaver a nice warm cup of milk when she had trouble sleeping worrying about a big test the next day.

My mom never made me a cup of warm milk when I couldn’t sleep. I vaguely remember asking her to make it once and she replied, “You won’t like that.”

When I got my first apartment by myself and had my first sleepless night – I made that long-awaited glass of warm milk.

Judy was right. I didn’t like it. And it didn’t help.

So, where did this “warm cup of milk will help you sleep” phenomenon come from? I have no idea. But writers of 80’s sitcoms made me think it would work. And they made me think that everyone else in the world did it but my weird family.

Sha la la la…..

Want to know more about warm milk and sleeplessness? Click here http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2008/01/warm-milk-true-or-false.html

I just walked upstairs, saw Christmas decorations, toys on the floor and dishes in the sink and it hit me.

It’s Christmastime and I have a family.

Of my own.

A husband that makes me laugh and is nicer and more understanding than I sometimes deserve.

A dog that is furry and snuggly and loves us and would protect us if she had to.

A black cat that is 13 years young and plays with my baby daughter and lets her love on her and pull her fur and all she does is purrrrr……

An orange tabby cat full of piss and vinegar 10% of the time and lovey, snuggly goodness the other 90%.

And last but MOST DEFINITELY not least…. A daughter. A beautiful baby girl that greets every day with a smile, beats the odds one odd at a time and means more to me and my husband than anything in this world.

HOW MOVIES AND TV INFLUENCED MY LIFE: “One Life to Live” Installment

I always thought that when I grew up, got married and had a house of my own that I would have an elaborate liquor cabinet. I watched Asa Buchanan and Dorian Lord fill their fancy crystal high ball glasses with what I could only assume was 40-year old scotch.

And they always had a fancy crystal decanter that the scotch was in. Asa wouldn’t be caught dead pouring Bo and Nora a glass of scotch out of a bottle!

I KNEW that this was just part of being an adult and a home-owner.

Did my parents have a fancy liquor cabinet with a crystal decanter of scotch, you ask?

Of course not.

Why I looked to One Life to Live as more of a realistic model for what life as an adult would be like, I will never know. But a good guess is that I am just generally a weirdo.

Of course having this fancy glass and liquor cabinet situation in your house would also mean that you would at some point throw that fancy glass of scotch at your cheating husband or your conniving daughter-in-law.

Good times.

sometimes I just wanna - scream.

so you know, that’s all I’ve got.

peace.

Life got so busy I forgot to post an update about our sweet baby girl Annalee and how her cardiology appointment went last week.

It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the miracle we hoped for.

PDA is still there.

VSD is still the same size.

Long story short. No change for the better.

But on the bright side - there is always hope. And thanks to medicine and lots of love she is absolutely thriving, hitting all her milestones and generally just being the best baby ever.

Thanks to everyone that has said a prayer or two for our sweet pea.

A week late - but here is a photo of the Thanksgiving turkey that I made happen. Yes, it rocked, thanks for asking.

Today is Annalee’s appointment with the cardiologist. She hasn’t been since July.

This is a good thing. That means the doctor was happy with how she was doing so he didn’t feel he needed to see her for a while.

Today is a big day. We hope and pray that her little heart has done some more healing and that her holes have done some more closing.

Big time prayers for my little chicken mcnugget today!