Tiny pleasures...

laurencecollection@etsy.com

I have a friend in Kansas City.  She is from France and brings back wonderful beads every time she returns home to the U.S.  

She makes earrings that are  whimsical and artsy.  

I am  amassing her entire collection, I believe.  I hang them in my bathroom on the edge of a brass tray.  Everyday I look at them and  enjoy her styles, colors, and designs.

Life is always changing...

This past week has been quite interesting as far as long term life decisions go! For those of you who don't know, my husband is a Respiratory Therapist who recently decided to start going back to school to become a Physician Assistant. The plan was to only work PRN (only when needed, or when he wanted to work, instead of full time) and then to go to school full time. The school he planned to go to is a 50 minute drive or so from our house and he would basically have to start over again, because they did not take many of his previous credits.

As far as I was concerned, this past month has been quite hard on me emotionally. I felt like what I wanted to do in life was on hold, while waiting for him to finish school (again :p) with me working full time for insurance and bills.

Then last week I got a text message from David while he was at work saying that someone on night shift had resigned and if he should talk to his boss about possibly going to nights? Wow, that would be a change!! However, it also seemed like God had sent us a compromise to the problem we had been struggling with.

So after much discussion and prayer, David decided today to make the switch. He will still be working what is considered PRN, as needed, but will be filling in the gaps on night sift instead of day shift. Night shift will mean more money per hour, however there is still the school issue. So he has decided not to go to the school he originally planned on going to. The new school, he has actually looked in to it before, is an online program that he can have finished in a year and a half to get his bachelors. The previous school would have taken him most likely 3 years or more to finish before getting into a PA program.

Please keep us in your prayers! It will take some getting use to, but if it is God's will, things will all work out! 

30 benda org perempuan tak taw mcm mane nak bgtaw org lelaki

i found this dlm FB. a friend of mine punya friend. ''-____-''

1. Bila sorang wanita mengatakan dia sedang bersedih,tetapi dia tidak menitiskan airmata,itu bermakna dia sedang menangis di dalam hatinya.

2. Bila dia tidak menghiraukan kamu selepas kamu menyakiti hatinya, lebih baik kamu beri dia masa untuk menenangkan hatinya semula sebelum kamu menegur dengan ucapan maaf.

3. Wanita sukar nak cari benda yang dia benci tentang orang yang paling dia sayang (sebab itu ramai wanita yang patah hati bila hubungan itu putus di tengah jalan).

4. Sekiranya sorang wanita jatuh cinta dengan sorang lelaki, lelaki itu akan sentiasa ada di fikirannya walaupun ketika dia sedang keluar dengan lelaki lain.

5. Bila lelaki yang dia suka dan cinta merenung tajam ke dalam matanya, dia akan cair seperti coklat!!

6. Wanita memang sukakan pujian tetapi selalu tidak tau macam mana nak menerima pujian.

7. Jika kamu tidak suka dengan gadis yang sukakan kamu separuh mati,tolak cintanya dengan lembut,jangan berkasar sebab ada satu semangat dalam diriwanita yang kamu tak akan tahu bila dia dah buat keputusan,dia akanlakukan apa saja.

8. Sekiranya sorang gadis mula menjauhkan diri darimu selepas kamu tolak cintanya,biarkan dia untuk seketika.Sekiranya kamu masih ingin menganggap dia sorang kawan,cubalah tegur dia perlahan-lahan.

9. Wanita suka meluahkan apa yang mereka rasa.Muzik,puisi,lukisan dan tulisan adalah cara termudah mereka meluahkan isi hati mereka.

10. Jangan sesekali beritahu perempuan yang mereka ni lansung tak berguna.

11. Bersikap terlalu serius boleh mematikan mood wanita.

12. Bila pertama kali lelaki yang dicintainya dalam diam memberikan respon positif,misalnya menghubunginya melalui telefon,si gadis akan bersikap acuh tak acuh seolah-olah tidak berminat,tetapi sebaik saja ganggang diletakkan,dia akan menjerit kesukaan dan tak sampai sepuluh minit,semua rakan-rakannya akan tahu berita tersebut.

13. Sekuntum senyuman memberi seribu erti bagi wanita.Jadi jangan senyum sebarangan.

14. Jika kamu menyukai sorang wanita,cubalah mulakan dengan persahabatan.Kemudian biarkan dia mengenalimu dengan lebih mendalam.

15. Jika sorang wanita memberi seribu satu alasan setiap kali kamu ajak keluar,tinggalkan dia sebab dia memang tak berminat denganmu.

16. Tetapi jika dalam masa yang sama dia menghubungimu atau menunggu panggilan darimu,teruskan usahamu untuk memikatnya.

17. Jangan sesekali mengagak apa yang dirasakannya.Tanya dia sendiri!!

18. Selepas sorang gadis jatuh cinta,dia akan sering tertanya-tanya kenapalah aku tak jumpa lelaki ini lebih awal.

19. Kalau kamu masih tercari-cari cara yang paling romantik untuk memikat hati sorang gadis,cubalah rajin-rajinkan tangan menyelak buku-buku cinta.

20. Bila setiap kali gambar kelas keluar,benda pertama yang dicari oleh wanita ialah siapa yang berdiri di sebelah buah hatinya,kemudian barulah dirinya sendiri.

21. Bekas teman lelaki akan sentiasa ada di fikirannya tetapi lelaki yang dicintainya sekarang akan berada di tempat teristimewa iaitu di hatinya!!

22. Satu ucapan 'Hi' sahaja sudah cukup menceriakan harinya.

23. Teman baiknya saja yang tahu apa yang sedang dia rasa dan lalui.

24. Wanita paling benci lelaki yang berbaik-baik dengan mereka semata-mata nak tackle kawan mereka yang paling cantik.

25. Cinta bermaksud kesetiaan, ambil berat, jujur dan kebahagiaan tanpa sebarang kompromi.

26. Semua wanita mahukan sorang lelaki yang cintakan mereka sepenuh hati..

27. Senjata wanita adalah airmata!!

28. Wanita suka jika sesekali orang yang disayanginya mengadakan surprise buatnya(hadiah,bunga atau sekadar kad ucapan romantis).Mereka akan rasa terharu dan merasakan bahawa dirinya dicintai setulus hati.Dengan i! ni dia tak akan ragu-ragu terhadapmu.

29. Wanita mudah jatuh hati pada lelaki yang ambil berat tentang mereka dan baik terhadapnya.So,kalau nak memikat wanita pandai-pandailah...

30. Sebenarnya mudah mengambil hati wanita kerana apa yang dia mahu hanyalah perasaan dicintai dan disayangi sepenuh jiwa.

Curly café

Isn't this one of the most gorgeous catalogs and lovely clothes you've ever seen? This is so inspiring!

(Inspiration here, please)

I really believe that we must keep alive the child of our heart!

Chicken Marsala

  

  

    
What is the difference between Messina and McNuggets?  Syracusa and Special Sauce?  Palermo and, well, you get the idea.  Find yourself sailing near McDonalds?  Chart a course for Marsala, Sicily that is.  The other night, I prepared breaded chicken cutlets for my kids.  Dredged in flour, egg and bread crumbs, these home made "nuggets" fill their need with little more than a dollop of ketchup to top it off.  I, of course, have deeper needs.  I have a need to feel the ocean air in my face.  I need to have the sun so bright that even wearing sunglasses makes me squint.  I need old men on park benches, old ruins on hillsides, and old recipes made with the newest, freshest, most basic ingredients.  I need new fish caught from old seas.  I need new discoveries in old towns, towns so old that the list of conquerers is too long to read.  
    
Sicily fits this description.  I have never been to Sicily, but will go some day.  And until that day, I will eat in Sicily, or at least my transient idea of Sicily, until I experience the real thing.  I admit, that cooking with Marsala wine may be more of an American thing.  Sicilians, I believe, serve their fortified wine, the good stuff I'm talking about, not the swill you buy at the supermarket, as an aperitif between first and second courses.  Like a Port, it goes well with cheese.  Here in America, land of the lowest common denominator, our mass-produced Marsala is not good for much more than cooking.  But that is ok, because it gives us another way to transform everyday chicken cutlets into something more interesting, something more special, something named after a town in Sicily.  Soften some shallots, brown some mushrooms, reduce some Marsala and some chicken stock and voila! Another evening where I am that much closer to being in Sicily.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt/pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small can of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
     
Directions:
Heat the oven to 200 degrees F.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat.  Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts.  Cut them in half lengthwise to make to thin, flat cutlets.  Pound flat if desired to make the cutlets a uniform thin thickness.  Season each with salt and pepper.  Lay out the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in their own plate or bowl.  Dredge a cutlet through the flour, shaking off excess, then the egg, then the bread crumbs, and place in the hot skillet.  Do the same with a second cutlet.  Cook the cutlets for 2 minutes to brown and then turn the cutlets and repeat.  Remove the cutlets to a plate with a paper towel and keep warm in the preheated oven.  Wipe out the pan and heat another tbsp each of oil and butter.  Repeat the cutlet cooking process.  When the second batch of cutlets is removed, add the shallots to the pan and soften for a minute or two.  Add the garlic to release it flavor and then add the mushrooms.  Stir and cook a few minutes to release their liquid and brown slightly.  Add the Marsala wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits.  Simmer and reduce the wine by half and then add the stock and rosemary.  Simmer and reduce the sauce by half or more.  Season to taste.  Turn off the heat and add the last tbsp of butter.  Stir in the butter and then place the cutlets in the skillet, coating with the sauce.  Plate the cutlets and then spoon out the sauce on top of the cutlets.  Serve.
     

Transformations

I feel another transformation coming on in my life. A lifestyle change.

Just thinking about my body and what I put in it. In preparing for the future, I want my body to be as strong and healthy as it can be..getting rid of all toxins. I'm starting a RAW diet today. When it comes that time for a little one, I want to provide the best environment for him/her to thrive. 

I will keep you posted on my progression into this journey of the unknown. Today is going to be filled with raw fruit smoothies, nuts, beans & veggies.  If I get brave enough I may try one of those awful looking veggie smoothies. There are tons of really great recipes out there, and wonderful books. If you want to know more about the RAW diet check out this link: http://www.rawfoodlife.com/

This is not a diet, nor will I be starving myself. It is a lifestyle change and I will make sure my body is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs to remain in a healthy state.

On top of all this, I am doing cardio 3 days a week, kick-boxing one day a week, and yoga one day. I think a combination of all is going to give me great energy, and help clear my mind. I think it will be good for the soul.

 

bercakap dengan abah mampu buat aku tenang

this evening. i cried in my room, about an hour ago. i took my phone & search for 'aabah'

"abah dkt mane?"

A: abah baru sampai parking rumah. kenape?

"abah naik masuk bilik qilah"

A: okay.

honestly, i cried for nothing. absolutely nothing. i heard ppl say, "sometimes, we need some space alone" but, let me tell you something, "sometimes, i need some time to cry alone' ;P

A: eh... kenape menangis?

"......."

A: sedih risau ape?

"qla menangis x semestinya sedey risau. marah pun nangis"

A: marah sape hari ni?

"tak de sape..."

A: habis tu kenape ni?

"abah... pernah tak rase, hidup abah ok, sempurna, i mean u got fmly, career, friends. but it wasn't good enough. there is something missing. and it's like... u r nothing, with everything u got"

A: pernah. tp... cuba pandang ke bawah, dr pandang ke atas. maksud abah, pandang org yg lebih susah. bkn lebih senang. bersyukur & berpegang dgn apa yg kta ada hari ni. mmg dlm hidup kita, kita tak akan pernah dpt semua yg kta nak. tak akan pernah. tp... ingt apa yg boleh menaikkan semangat kita utk lebih berusaha.

"tapi... abah tak pernah ke rasa, mcm semua org ada itu, ada ini. tp abah mcm tak ada apa-apa. mmg abah ada semuanya, mcm qla ckp td, tp mcm...ada lg bnda yg kurang. macam abah ni menyusahkan semua org keliling abah & mcm tak tahu da apa tujuan sebenar abah hidup"

A: abah tahu cita-cita qila tnggi. nak pakai kereta itu ini. memang kene kerja keraslah nak sampai ke tahap tu. lagi satu, org yg jaga solat, nampak air muka dia lain. rezeki dia tu berkat. macam datuk Z, (bkn nama sebenar), dari 1 star, dia naik 2 star. gaji dia naik mendadak. sampai dia tak tahu nak buat apa dgn duit dia. sbb benda halal ni mahal mana sgt? benda haram yg mahal. tgk air muka dia, perasan tak? keruh je. tp, Allah berikan rezeki tu utk dia jgk.

silent. i was thinking... why did Allah awarded him (Datuk Z) with such a lot of wonderful things, (well, i knew him in-person, very well) when he don't even know how to be thankful to Allah?

i listened to abah, quietly. thousands of thoughts flying through out my mind. and, for now, let's look at the day, in a positive way. and why did i say i need to cry alone, some other time? -- it reminds me of who am i, who are we, life, and back to the one & only -- Allah.