Please Pray.....

I'm so sorry I haven't been on all week..... my mama has been in the hospital since Thursday evening with severe hip pain and they do not know why. 

They've done several tests and have ruled out cancer in her bones, which is a HUGE praise.  Cancer returning is always a concern with my mom, so that was just GREAT news for us that the bone scan was clear.

I am really hoping to be able to do a "My Vegan Ways" Monday post tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I will have enough time.  If not, I will pick it back up next week =)

Love you all and thank you SO much for praying ~~ 

PS 27:13-14  "I am still confident of this, I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.  Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait on the LORD."

Love you so ~~

~~ My Vegan Ways ~~

Good Monday Morning!!!  I hope you all had a beautiful weekend Praising Jesus and hanging out with your families. 

I have wanted for some time to blog consistently about something I'm passionate about:  food =) 

I like to eat and I like to eat well.  So as I've been thinking about this, I decided to blog about my healthy diet and lifestyle on Mondays and title it "My Vegan Ways".  I hope you enjoy these posts and find them helpful to you.

*****

I get many questions about my diet.  I want to clarify that I am more vegan than vegetarian, but not totally vegan all the time.  I will eat honey and girl likes her some sweets and so sometimes I will have some sweeties that are not vegan.  But those are becoming less and less with all the lovely vegan dessert options out there that taste really good.

Choosing to eat healthier is definitely an individual choice.  I can't choose to eat healthier for you as you cannot do so for me.  We are the ones putting our food choices in our bodies, so it must be something you decide and do on a regular basis to see good results.  But it is SO worth it!!!  You will have so much more energy and vitality.  It truly is amazing!!  But these things take time and if you are wanting to start a more healthy diet and you currently eat icky =)    give it some time.  Decide to maybe start daily with changing up one meal to eat more healthy.  And it doesn't have to be taking a meal and taking it totally vegan or vegetarian, because that may not be your deal and that is totally fine.  Just take one meal and instead of frying the chicken, bake it or stir fry it with LOTS of yummie veggies, or if that's not your thing, coat it in bread crumbs and bake it and serve it with a nice fresh pasta sauce and a salad.  That is a wonderful start.  And over time, that positive change will lead to more postive changes and before you know it, your diet will look much healthier and you will feel MUCH better.

So I will be focusing on one food-related topic each Monday and would love to know what you all would like me to talk about as well.  Is there a certain food or food group you would like to know more about, how to cook?  etc.

There are many wonderful vegan food blogs out there and I am not attempting to be one =)  Nor am I any kind of doctor or expert in the field.  I just know what works for me and thought I'd share about a thought or two in a one day a week post, and maybe help some of my fellow food lovers out there and it is something I'm passionate about.  Healthy food brings so much life and vitality to us.  It is a gift from our Heavenly Daddy.  I love that He gives us so many beautiful fruits and veggies to eat.

So today, I want to give you a recipe for something I made a couple of weeks ago.  It was definitely new to me and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out.  

Eggplant Pomodoro

    1 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Veganaise) (Doesn't have to be vegan)
    1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2" rounds
    1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
    3 roma tomatoes, diced
    10-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and coat a cookie sheet with foil.

2. Coat each slice of eggplant with the mayo and then coat each slice with breadcrumbs. 

3. Arrange coated eggplant slices on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes.

4. While eggplant is baking, saute diced tomatoes, basil, and garlic in olive oil until well heated, and set aside. Serve baked eggplant with a generous portion of tomato mixture. Enjoy!

Serves: 2-4, Preparation time: 30-60 minutes 

This recipe is SO delicious and flavorful, but it is also very rich.  I LOVED this recipe and the sauce was AMAZING!!

Generally, I will find a recipe, like I did here and change it.  I take a basic recipe and make it work for me, so if there is something in this that you don't like or would like to add, change it up and make it yours.  The original recipe called for mustard with the mayo, I am not a fan of this, so I left it out.  But if you like that taste, add it in (I think it was 1/4 cup). 

I am growing eggplant in my garden this year along with tomatoes and basil.  Love me some garden goodness.

So I hope you enjoy this one and will try it soon alongside a fresh salad and tall glass of water!!

Let me know if you have questions or suggestions ~~

Love you ~~ Have a Blessed Monday ~~ Off to get my 2 miles in today =)

Random Friday ~~ Sir Cuteness CRACKS.ME.UP. ~~ Edition

*****

So let's Random it out on this Friday, shall we?  =)

Sir Cuteness is so stinkin' funny!!

He cracks us up every.single.day.

Here he is getting his inner B-Boy on.....  =)

Just the way he rolls.....

(Doesn't he look ornery right here? =)

 Here is the view from my couch.....

Yes my knee in ice.....again.....

It's okay.....

bummer.....

but okay.....

 I LOVE this picture.

It is possible that PaPa was encouraging his grandson to do something dangerous =)

 That's my boy with the football signal going on.....

Fall is comin'.....

I'm just sayin'.....  =)

 Sir Cuteness does the funniest things with his tounge.

He is so funny.....

 Okay, so this picture cracks.me.up.

Here are the men folk watching TV and Sir Cuteness, stunting it up, right in between them.....

Hahahahahahaha.......

 He's pretty talented!!

 OKay, so Sir Cuteness went with me to the Pain Doc on Wednesday and as we were sitting there waiting for the doc, he tells me that he is going to be a doctor one day so he can get into the red box (trash).  I told him he couldn't get into it because it is where the needles go. 

So I asked him what kind of doctor he wants to be. 

Me:  Do you want to be a leg doctor, so you can help people like Gamma with their knees?
Sir Cuteness:  Nope.  A toenail doctor.

Me:  A toenail doctor?  =)

Sir Cuteness:  Yes.  I make them pretty.

Me:  Hahahaha Heeheehee

Sir Cuteness is totally fascinated with my purple toe nails.

He thinks they are SO pretty =)  So he wants to help others have pretty toes.

Works for me =)

 Again, getting his inner B-Boy on =)

 We went to Old Navy yesterday and he put this ridiculously cute hat on and of course Gamma had to get it.

He is so stinkin' cute in it!!!

 Okay, so one more Sir Cuteness story before we move on.....

He went into hug his daddy before bed last night and asked him.....

Sir Cuteness:  Is that the boat man?

Daddy:  (On the phone) No buddy it is not the boat man.

Sir Cuteness:  You really need to call him.

I would, but my phone don't work.

I really need to get another phone.

hahahahahahahahah.....

Yes you do young one =)

*****

So I don't know how many of you have an Iphone, but Dak does, and it takes AMAZING pictures!!

I really can't believe how good the quality is and his isn't even the Iphone 4.  His is the 3. 

But he takes some really good pics.

The rest of the pics on this post were taken with his Iphone.

Here I am in the garden last night.



 Look at this beautiful sunflower!!!

Even in the heat, she is thriving ~~ and it is hot!!

 So this pic cracks me up.  Because Dak asks me when he came out..... "Mom why are you all wet?"

To which I responded, "Really?  There is a 2 year old with a water hose about."  =)

 RJ, these sunflower pics are just for you!!!  =)

So sorry yours broke ='(

 And I will leave you with my FAVORITE pic of the last couple weeks.....

Me and Sir Cuteness at college, hanging out with the bear =)

I love y'all ~~ have a Blessed Friday ~~

Press on.....

Yesterday, was pain Doctor day.  That is always a hard appointment and makes for a difficult day.  The people that are in the Pain Doctor waiting room are well, in pain.  And it makes for a difficult day.

I feel so sorry for anyone in that office, because I know they are a patient or a loved one of a patient.  Sometimes I wonder which is harder.....to be the one in pain, or to have to sit with the one in pain and know there is nothing you can do to help make it go away.  You feel helpless.....I am convinced, that is worse.

The news at the Pain Doctor was not good.  I wish it had been, but no.  Again, not good news. 

I told him the topical was helping, but I had to keep up with putting it on, 40 drops - 4 X's a day - it is quite a regimen, but one I am SO willing to do if it will help.  I was explaining to my doctor that I had noticed if I miss a dose, I am in more pain, even missing one dose.  This apparently is NOT good news.  He said that he hopes it keeps working, but he wants to see me back in three months for a re-evaluation and see where we go from there.  Apparently, if you can't go even one dose without it hurting, that is a sign that it may not keep working.  (At least that is what I took away from it....)  Bummer.

You see, these days of pain and less pain and then pain again, could wear on a girl.  That is if she were looking at the situation and not on her God, but this little girl is choosing Christ.  I love Him so and I know that He loves me more than I can even imagine.  It is a beautiful thing.....

So.........

I Press on.....

Please don't take this to mean that I am in any way super human.  I.am.not.  I struggle daily.  Sometimes momentbymoment is how I must take this thing, but I know that choosing Christ is ALWAYS THE BEST WAY.

So.....

I Press on.....

And I believe that today He wants you to know that whatever you are facing, choose Christ.....  choose to Press on in Him.  Don't look at the situation, look to God.....not to be controlled by circumstances, but rather look to the One who calms the seas and is in the midst of your situation, guiding, leading, helping you to.....

Press on in Christ.

I love you so ~~ Have a Beautiful Thursday ~~

Nostalgia ~~ Oh how time Flies.....

Okay, so this mama and grandma is feeling a wee bit nostalgic.

One month from today, August 19th 2011, is college move in day for my sweet boy, Dak.

I am just amazed at how quickly the time has flown by.

My baby will be a College Freshman, living on his own and doing life, one month from today.

Wow it is SO hard to grasp, but I am just so proud of him.

Another thing that has me SO nostalgic, is this little guy.....

Sir Cuteness!!!

This is him and my man, on Sir Cutenesses birth into this world.

He will be three in less than two weeks.

WOW!!  I mean seriously.....the time has just flown by.

(Isn't my man the sweetest thing.....I am just sayin'  =)

 Here is Sir Cuteness enjoying a chicken nugget.....

SO SWEET!!!

 And here he is with Papa and Daddy on Father's Day 2 two years ago.

WOW!!! 

Look at those sweet curls.....

Let me grab a spoon =)  ~~

(The date is wrong in the picture by the way ~~ don't let it throw you off =)

So yep, little ole nostalgic me......

*****

I have so many things I want to post on, but just not much time right now.

Tomorrow I go back to the pain doc.....so I'll keep you posted.

And I'm so wanting to do another video on my garden.

We are enjoying tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, egg plant (picked my first one of the season today) and so many yummy herbs.  So I'm really wanting to get that one up and going.....

And also Spiritually, God has me in SUCH a special place with Him right now.

He is teaching me SO much and I am getting time to study with my man.

It is a very special time for us in our growth in the Lord. 

I love Him so!!!

So I'm off to make Chicken Alfredo with Sour Dough Bread and maybe a yummy salad for supper.

Hope you all have a Blessed evening ~~ 

Random Friday ~~

Happy Friday and since it's Friday,

You know what that means.....

Yep.....

Randomness!!!

So let's get started.....

*****

I am in another Scrapbook Class and this time it is 12 Challenges in 4 weeks and so far I've done every one except for the current one, but I have some ideas for it. 

This is the finished page for my second challenge.

You had to take a picture and make it the canvas.

So I took a pic of Dak and Legs from Baccalaurete and added just a few embellies.

I edited it in Picnik (Thank you RJ =) and I LOVE the way it turned out!!

 In our third challenge, we were asked to use the color orange.

Since orange doesn't go with ANY thing I have going right now,

I decided to make a little mini for my baby sis.

She had asked me to write down my free-weight exercise routine,

so I thought "Why not make it cute?" and use orange.

My camera is doing something funky,

but this is how it turned out.....

 Here is the inside.....

All the writing is my routine.

I wrote it in pencil so baby sis can erase my lbs, reps and sets as needed.

She loved it!!!

 Sir Cuteness has been taken pictures again.

Too funny =)

 This picture cracks.me.up. 

Sir Cuteness had on these two different shoes the other night, and not just for a little while, but for practically the whole evening.

So I tried and tried to get a picture and he kept running away, laughing and giggling all the way.

So when I downloaded these pics, it included a lot of pics that Sir Cuteness had taken with my camera, and there was this one.

I tried SO hard to take a pic for y'all and he'd already done it.

Why thank you Sir Cuteness =)     Hahahahahaha ~~

 Yep more Sir Cuteness photo's .....  =)

 My pics are all out of order, but I wanted to show you this one as well.

This was my first Challenge in this new Scrapbook Class.

You had to take a pattern from everyday life and implement it into a scrapbook page.

So I took a basketweave pattern from a basket that sits on my computer desk and adapted that to fit my scrapbook page.

I did a basketweave on my page and then collaged Dak and Legs from a Baccalauraette picture and then collaged a pic of a chair from our college visit day of the college Dak will be attending, and also added a stack of books and our shoes from the same day.

So cute!!!  I was really happy with the result.

We've been SO busy around here.

I have lots of fun stuff to share with you and am hoping to maybe get a video up this weekend.

Have a Super Blessed Day ~~

Mama.....

"Mama, you taught me to do the right thing.
Now it's time to let your baby fly....."

So that is a line in a Carrie Underwood song (love her by the way =)  and something I have been thinking about lately.

To say my heart is a little tender toward a tall, drink of lovely boy, would be an understatement.  As you know, SOAR was last week, and now my boy is all registered for college.  My heart is so tender.  I visit so many blogs with young babes and it feels like my own babe was that young just yesterday, and now he is ready to fly.

Oh, I keep getting reassured that everything will be fine.  We've raised him well, and he knows THE Truth.  There is evidence of that and I am more thankful than you know, that Father God is confirming what I've always known, He is Dak's Abba and He loves him more than I.

So why am I sharing this today?  Well, again it is this tender heart.  I have had a college box in his room since he'd made his decision, and I put things in it, so we don't have so much to do and spend come August.  Well yesterday, my sweet baby sister, Dak's Aunt NeNe (that's what he called her as a wee babe ~~ makes me smile =)  brought a sack full of lovelies for my boy to add to his box.  People just want to love on this boy. 

Dak has such vision. 
Dak has such style. 
Dak has such passion. 
Dak is one of a kind. 
And God chose me to be his mama.  WOW!!!

So on August 19th my baby will fly away to college and start a whole new chapter in his life.  And me his mama will come home to an empty room, but a full heart.  Knowing that God is in control and loves my sweet Dak more than I.

Mama.....the sweet word.
Mama.....means you have a full heart.
Mama.....I am Blessed.

SOAR 2011 ~~ Freshman Orientation ~~

So Thursday and Friday was Dak's Freshman Orientation at MSU. 

It was so fun and a little scary at first,

but in true Dak fashion,

he SOARED!!!

Here is Dak and I leaving on Thursday. 

See how nervous he looks.....

Yep, Starbucks helped =)

This is what we saw standing in line. 

So pretty and poignant....

Okay, so loosening up =)

Yep, I did the mom thing for two days....

It was magical!....

I know this is blurry, but you know how sometimes your kid just does the look that is completely them?...  

Yep, this is a Dak look. 

I LOVE this look!!!!!

And this one.....

We spent some time in some beautiful arcitecture....

This guy you see here is Dak's mini-me....

too funny!!

After dinner, Dak wanted to stay and bowl with the SOAR leaders.

Yeah, I was down with that. 

I sat and laughed and took pictures and made new friends at my age.....

It was a GOOD day!!!

One of the SOAR leaders ~~ really funny guy!!

Dak, getting his bowl on.....

Then Friday we brought Sir Cuteness and Legs with us.....

Oh my stars....did he ever have fun at college.....

 

So MSU is home of the Bears....

So this giant bear is right in front of the Student Union....

HI!!

Ok so this was suppose to be me saying STOP,

instead it looks like me surfing on the bear =)

hahahahaha

Me and Sir Cuteness.....

He is hugging me SO tight right here .....  I love this boy so!!!!!

One of my FAVORITE pictures!!!!!

He was absolutely taken by the bear's tail.

Cracked.us.up.

For the love people..... 

=)

Oh.my.stars.

LOVE.

Legs is my girl.....

Totally my girl!!!!!

Okay so this is another fav.....

Sir Cuteness was ALL about the fountain.....

And what a BEAUTIFUL fountain it is.....

So are you wondering where all the pics of Dak are for Friday?

Yeah, we didn't get a SINGLE PIC of him on Friday.

He was so busy getting his schedule worked out and then we had to go to the bookstore and reserve his books and then go to financial aide and get that worked out too.

So much to do on one of these visits. 

But we did it and move in day is August 19th.

I am so happy and sad all at the same time.

I am already checking out the parent page and figuring out what I can do to make it really special for Dak.

I got a few tricks up my sleeve =)

If anybody has any fun things I can do for him, please let me know.

Also, Legs and K are moving in the same day, same school, so looking for some fun and thoughtful things to do for them to, and remember I am a mama and grandmama of ALL boys, so except for being a girl myself, I am a little challenged in that area =)

So there you have it, our SOAR day ~~ it was SO fun and SO informative ~~

Dak also got the head of his department for an advisor.  He is so pumped!!

He has art classes downtown, so he is double pumped!!!

Love you so ~~