It's another early day and I've decided to post a short blog post. Who am I kidding? I know it's going to be a long one. I think I just wrote that to lure you in.
I've been thinking a lot lately, and am very unsure of the next steps in my life. I have spent the last decade doing what I think is the best and right thing for everyone else, and somewhere along the way I lost sight of things. I became fearful, and full of resentment. Externally I seem pleasant and okay, but internally things are frayed and raw. Although I do the best to keep things balanced, they no longer feel that way. The scale has surely begun to weigh heavily on the negative side. Positivity has taken a back seat. I feel that things need to change, and my plans are to make those changes each day with small gradual steps to find myself again. For years my direction has been all over, and usually with one step forward, and sixteen back. Obvioulsy success is never linear, and there are many mistakes and setbacks along the way, but sometimes, a straight shot to success would be wonderul for the tiniest goals. That's something else I noticed that I lost sight of. My goals. I haven't set realistic, or even unrealistic goals, for quite some time. These have been forgotten and not replaced with anything meaningful. I often wonder if balance is cruel joke that only a few people get. Or is it a lifelong obsession that never amounts to anything?
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Boy, have things changed in our household! Little Oliver Twist warms up our home with his affections. His excited greetings are so full of love that we can't get enough of him. The kids love having a dog, but I realize just how much I missed having one. The kids love him. Josh loves him. But, momma looooooooves him. Our routine is routine, and I enjoy them as much, or maybe even more than, Oliver. Our days start with walks, and then it's snuggle time. I also use this time to teach him new tricks, and in the last five weeks he has learned to shake, sit, and lay down. He mastered roll over last week, too. I introduced, "Bang! You're dead," to him this week. We'll see how it goes. A call bell is by the back door for the little guy. I work with him to ding the bell when he needs to go out. He sits by the door already, but we don't always see him since he's so small, and he doesn't whine or bark. In time, he'll be driving us nuts with the bell. Ha! I also changed his food. I noticed that Stars of GA has Taste of the Wild on their wish list so I switched to this brand. He is really enjoying it, and I prefer the ingredients of it over Wellness; which is what he was on. Each weekend Oliver Twist also gets a bath and his ears cleaned. He gets his nails clipped if needed, and gets a new bone. I try to brush his teeth regularly, but this is a toughie. He hates to have his teeth brushed, and he doesn't enjoy riding in the car. Motion sickness definitely works against him, but we make do. Anyhow, he goes outside regularly with the kids, but each night we play chase with him for 45 minutes to an hour. Sometimes, the kids don't last as long, but I'll hang with the little guy until he's so tired he flops down, and I carry him into the house like a little baby.
Yes, I have personified him. I tell him regularly, "You're just a little baby." Oi vey... My tough exterior has melted; turned to complete mush. I already have a Chrstmas list for him. He needs the pleather jacket I saw and more toys. He usually skins and strips any toy with stuffing, or a squeaker, so he needs flat toys he can shake and throw. And balls; he's a baller. We found a Chase and Chomp ball that rattles and he loves it. My dad told me the other day, "I know he's y'alls dog, but that's your dog. I'd love to be a dog in your house. You get your own chair, specially ordered food, a basket with toys, and beds and blankets everywhere. And the treats...Damn. I'd love to be a dog in your house." All jokes aside, this comment makes me feel great! I know, suddenly I seem like a crazy dog lady, but he's a perfect little fella. I just can't help myself. This is another super simple recipe. I put together a tasty mashed potato and carrot dish.
Scrub each potato and carrot with a veggie brush. Slice or dice them uniformly. I had sliced carrots on hand so that's what I used. Place the potatoes and carrots in a pot of boiling water. While they are still firm pour the water out, and replace it with chicken stock. Add one clove of garlic, dried or fresh chives, and pepper. I also added salt after tasting it. Let the potatoes and carrots cook until they are fork tender. Add milk and butter. Add more seasonings to taste, and use an immersion blender, potato masher or potato ricer to mash the ingredients.
Pear Sauce RecipeOnce again, this is super simple. The most difficult part is peeling the pears. Once they're washed and peeled I cut the flesh away from the seeds. I do not have a apple peeler/corer so I have to do it by hand. This takes a lot of time. Infiltrate help if someone who can help you. These pears are gorgeous. Perfect in each and every way. The smallest pear is the size of a baseball, but the average is softball size. They feel a bit hard, but are delectible once bitten into. They were given to me by my friend Mr. Ken, and I found a wonderful use for them: Homemade pear sauce. I made a huge vat of pear sauce. The measurements are estimated since I don't normallly measure my ingredients.
Once the sauce was cool I spooned it into quart size freezer bags. I froze size bags, and put a huge container in the refrigerator for the family. Enjoy it over granolaI made a quick breakfast granola with oats, raisins, honey and cinnamon. While it was still hot I added half and half to it, and ladled homemade warm pear sauce over the top. It was delicious.
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Lisa M. WhiteAboutI'm not a chef; just a homecook enthusiast who loves to feed my family and friends. I'm a red meat eating, cheeseburger lover. And, there's nothing better than a cold, crisp, Coca-Cola® served with lime to accompany that.
I'm a firm believer food is love, and love is food. Categories
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