TO SAY OR NOT TO SAY?

Great food

I am slowly moving back to eating better.  Just over 2 years ago I began following a diet that changed my life.  With my crohns out of control I was facing surgery.  I read a book "The Makers Diet" by Jordan Ruban which changed everything.  With this book and the diet I was able to come down on my steroids to one and control my crohns all the while avoiding surgery.  In the past year I have admittedly slipped away from this strict diet and have really felt the results.  Enough is enough.  I began to move back towards this way of eating over the past week.  Slowly things are coming together and I am feeling better just a few days following.  I am certainly not surprised as I know what it has done for me over the past 2 years.

I thought I would share my latest invention.  One of the best salads I have ever made.  It was totally filling and rewarding.  Too good not to share with others.

Mixe a can of tuna (in water) with a few tablespoons of mayonaise.  Mix in a bowl with mixed green salad of choice.

Toss in some cottage cheese- mix through.

In a frying pan saute 2 TB of butter.  (despite what people think, butter is so much better for you!  it is a natural fat that out body can digest unlike magarine).  Add sliced mushrooms, onions (I used green but you use what you like) and celery thinly sliced. 

Add one tsp of organic sugar or maple syrup.  I won't get into telling you how bad refined sugar is for you as it only take a minute to google it and you will get a huge amount of information.  I don't have it in my diet.  Try organic when something calls for sugar or even better, maple syrup or honey.  Sugar is something I limit severly in my diet. 

Saute veggies until soft.  Add fresh parmesan cheese and feta to the veggies.  Stirfry for a  minute until the cheese combines with the veggies.  Pour over your tuna/cottage cheese salad and mix through. 

This was so good!  The cheeses all melt together and it was divine.  And I never use the word "divine".  Ha!

Try it and let me know what you think.  If you to, take a minute and come back here to let me know what you thought.

Feel free to share your favorite recipe as well.  Eating well does not have to be boring! 

On a side note... I spent the better part of yesterday morning having MJ seen at the Emergency room.  Not due to it being an emergency persay.... rather, the only alternative to the 2 week wait into our family doctor.  Her and her brother both had bronchitis before Christmas and it appeared to have returned.  More like pneumonia this time.  Back on antibiotics for a week.  Crossing finges it is the last of the sickies.

I managed to fall off the deck last week while playing in our backyard with the kids. Hurt my left shoulder, but the upside is I now have a massage for my back and shoulders scheduled later this week.  :)  Always looking for positives in life.  Which wouldn't be the chocolate chip that MJ stuck up her left nostril this morning.  *sigh* what is with that! She apparently didn't learn from the time she stuck her brothers toy up  her nose at age 2 and had to go to the Eyes, Ears Nose specialist to retrieve it.  That long metal thing must feel good inserted way up into your brain!  Uggh.  I managed to get to her before she pushed it up too far and the old "blowing the nose" trick managed to dislodge the sweet choc. morsal!

Hoping Mary Jean learns to develop this part of our "human nature"

Quote of the day:

Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out.

— Michael Burke

 

Life

It seems that since Mary Jean has been little she has been focused on her looks.  It is bizarre to have a 4 year old want to look into the mirror all the time.  It is often to make funny faces and expressions, but she just loves to look at herself.  Especially after she get's dressed in the mornings.  I can only imagine the teenage years! 

Whenever she would say "Do I look pretty", Jeff and I have always tried to respond with "yes, you are pretty, but also smart".  Balancing the whole, looks vs. brains.  We talk about how it is more important what is inside a persons heart then what is outside. 

Thought I would share this mornings conversation with Mary Jean:

She was saying she was pretty and we had talked about what was in a person's heart. 

Me:   When you pick a husband, it's nice if he is handsome but you want someone that is going to have a good heart and treat you well.

MJ:  I know.... I am going to marry Thomas (boy across street)

Me:  Well you will probably change your mind before then

MJ:  No, I will marry him

Me:  Just make sure it is someone like Daddy.  Handsome and caring.

MJ:  I will

Me:  There will be lots of boys in your life time that will come after you I am sure.

MJ:  *giggle*  no

Me:  Yes, but that is ok

MJ:  well I will just run away

Me:  Yes... run fast and far my little one. 

She makes me laugh.

My two favorite people, and a quote for the day.

Both pictures shot with my 85mm at probably f2.  Love this lense.

Quote for the day:

Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun.

— George Scialabra

My "Other" Passion

Decorating.  I love to decorate my home.  If I wasn't doing photography I would have likely pursued interior design.  I just wish I had more money to be able to afford my own taste!  Ha!  However, I find that having less money forces me to be more creative in using what I do have.

I will post a few things that we are doing in my own home in a few days but for now I thought I would share some favorite images and styles that I have right now.  And yes... like most, my style changes often.  Which in itself is expensive.

One of my favorite designers is Canadian.  Sarah Richardson!  Love love her style.  It is so clean, modern and most of all calming.  She seems to be able to do any style and wow... what class she has.  Check out her website.  She has her own line of furniture.  And it is sold in Halifax which is fairly close to me.  Well within driving distance... so that is dangerous.   

Sarah's site

She has her own show "Design Inc." which I try and catch whenever I can.  Very inspirational rooms on the site.  But this is my favorite kitchen and very similar to what we are working towards in my own home.  I find the walls look blue here although on the website they say green.  Very similar to my own walls.  I am going to be doing the same thing with the raised counter in my kitchen and we are going to be getting new countertops, sink and faucet soon.  I plan to paint my cupboards white like these and add new hardware to them.  Instant update.

Like most, I can't yet afford an entirely new kitchen but one can sure get a similar look as this with relatively little money.

My favorite thing to use?  PAINT!  I find it instantly updates a home.  I painted the brick on the front of my house.  A very earthy brown.  We moved here a year ago and I hated that my house looked like five others on the street.  Redish brick, red shutters and a boring white front door.  I painted it.  I will take pictures soon and post those as well.  We painted the brick with a combination of concrete paint and stain.  Two parts stain, one part paint.  Much to my neighbors horror.  The end result?  They loved it and are considering doing it as well.  They said it made the brick look like stone.  The stain allowed the natural brick colors show through and didn't make it appear "solid" which would have looked more like we painted the brick.  Not what I was going for. 

We also painted our front door a nice taupe, updated the hardware to a dark brushed copper and painted our shutters.  This summer it will be onto our landscapping.

Our project right now is our den off of the kitchen.  We took out the woodstove, and Jeff took out the large, evasive hearth that was sticking out into the tiny room taking up space.  He cut the once circular wood floor that shaped the hearth into a square opening and inlayed brown tile into the floor. What a difference.  Then he primed the brick and it is my job to finish painting it today.  We have bought a black electric fireplace to go in the area for now.  Propane wasn't in our budget.  Yesterday I got a huge black mirror to go over the fireplace at Winners.  Fifty dollars and it is huge and gorgeous.  My favorite place to shop.  Winners!

OK enough rambling.  Am I doing good keeping up with this blog?  A few more images I love.  They are totally inspirational to me and the look I am slowly moving towards.

 

I have decided that this is the feel I want for my office.  I already have that wall color.  Now it is to go for the rest.  Hubby will be building me some shelving I think!   

   

Peaceful Reminders

There just isn't enough peace and positive messages out in this world today.  Instead we seem to be bombarded with more negative messages and energy in life.  I typically don't like to watch the news because of this.  It is not to be ignorant of what is going on in the world rather I hate the feeling of being depressed as I am drifting off to sleep after hearing about war torn countries, killings of babies and soldiers.  Just not something that is condusive to sleep! 

So when I found this site and watched these clips, it just resonated with me.  It has a wonderful message and you can even download the beautiful, breathtaking images for screensavers.  I think it is a great way to add more peace and calm in our lives.  We can all benefit from it.

I would recommend setting some time aside before clicking on it.  It will be much nicer if you take the time to sit and enjoy it.  Perhaps a nice warm drink to sip while you watch and read.  I am hoping you feel as I did.  A sense of calm and peace.  I am all for promoting a bit more peace in the world.  The music is wonderful.

Pathways to Peace

And this one.  The interview with God.  I just loved this one.  It made me smile.  The message so true and real.  Not typically the things we like to sit and think about or admit to being the truth.  Strong, powerful, and true.  My feelings on this piece.

Interview with God

Oh, and feel free to pass it on to a friend.

Peace out!