- Feb 8, 2019
When I was a little girl, I just thought that life was just the way it was! My memories of my father are few, but nothing good and all under the age of 5!
My first memory was my dad dragging my mother across the lawn of our apartment building by her hair and my mom screaming for me to “Call south 30338!”, I was only 4 or 5 but I can vividly recall how helpless and stupid I felt that I couldn’t figure out what south meant! I later learned that south was the letters S & O, which equates to "76" on a telephone dial! I will never ever forget that day, as it was one of the worst memories that I have.
I remember a time when I got carbon monoxide poisoning in the car and my dad was screaming at me to get out of the car and walk, but I couldn’t. He left me in the car telling me I was being a baby. I remember feeling so abandoned sitting in that car all alone. The next day on a drive somewhere else, I got carbon monoxide poisoning again, but this time my great-grandmother and sister were in the car and they went unconscious. I recall being unable to walk again and dazed similar to the day before, only this time my father was panicking because my sister and Grandmother were ill. That was when my Grandfather, who was a fire chief met us along with the ambulance. I recall everything being surreal and thinking, “Yes, yesterday this happened too and you didn’t believe me or care”.
The last real memory I have was shortly after the carbon monoxide incident… he was supposed to come and take my sister and I somewhere for the day. I recall waiting outside for the entire day with my sister giving up really early on. I waited and waited thinking I know he will be here, but he never showed… I remember my Grandmother or Grandfather making me come inside and me saying, “I know he is coming”, but they knew he wasn’t.
I will never understand how a father or mother could ever just walk away from their child, but he did. I never saw him again and recall essentially “writing him off in my mind”.
I always told my mother, “I do not know how I could have been a product of that man!”, a thought I relayed to her several times over the course of my life.
She just listened and never responded.
NOW, it all makes sense!
I do think that you can choose to be defined by the events in your life and let them swallow you up OR you can choose to rise above them and be better for them. I chose the later. Just like my mom, I chose to be the best mother that I could be. Protecting my children from any and everything possible. Giving up a lot because it was what was best for my family and it was the right thing to do.
Although things that happen throughout life, like these, may not define you, they certainly play a role in some of the decisions that life force you to make... my Mom made a decision and now, it is my mission, to find out why.
To be continued...
- Feb 4, 2019
Love these!
Ok, I admit it... my clothing of choice is workout clothes these days and with so many cute options, I am not alone! My new favorite workout-clothing find is the new 7/8th length workout legging from the Gap. I am complimented on them regularly. The 7/8th length is perfect for my 5’4” height, regular is too long and bunches at my knees. They are good quality and Gap seems to always be running a promotion often 40%-50% off, so waiting it out is worth it. I always hang them dry so they maintain their like-new appearance. I love doing the stairs at the beach and the 7/8th length is perfect so that I don’t get tan lines from the cropped length!
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- Jan 30, 2019
Two years ago, I came up with this recipe just a couple of hours before we headed to my friend’s annual super bowl party. I had all of the ingredients in my pantry and decided to give it a try. Imagine my surprise at how well received it was - the whole thing was gone before halftime! I was bombarded with requests for the recipe and promised to make it my annual contribution. I love fun and easy things to make and this football is both. Some variations would include using brown food coloring for those who don’t like chocolate (I’ve never tried this and you would need to adjust the cereal quantity slightly lower to allow for less marshmallow mixture) and using corn flakes instead of Rice Krispies. I love the corn flake version because it is a little easier to make, but both kinds taste great!
Football Rice Krispies Treat
Recipe:
1-cup butter
1 package of marshmallows (mini ones melt faster)
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 cup of chocolate chips - I prefer dark chocolate but any kind will work
6 1/2 cups of plain Rice Krispies or corn flakes
For Decoration:
Melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips; pour into decorating bag (or just a plain Ziploc) cut the corner and pipe onto the football.
*To skip this step - purchase a small tube of white icing at the store - use the circle tip and pipe onto football.
Football:
Grease a large piece of waxed or parchment paper. Melt butter over medium heat in a large stockpot, when completely dissolved add marshmallows and vanilla. Once marshmallows are melted, add chocolate, stirring steadily so it doesn’t burn. **Very important** remove from heat before adding dry cereal - gently stir in cereal slowly so the marshmallow mixture coats evenly. Once mixture is combined turn onto prepared wax paper and using a greased spatula, shape into a football. Let shaped football cool for about 30 minutes, and then use white icing or melted white chocolate to decorate laces. Let cool completely before serving, cut into pieces and enjoy!
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